Juan Francisco Estrada: I Was 50 Percent In First Fight Against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Juan Francisco Estrada’s journey back to a rematch against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will finally come to an end when the two meet once more later this month.
Weeks before taking on Sor Rungvisai for the WBC super flyweight title, Estrada took time to reflect on his first encounter with the Thai champion and what to expect in their rematch. Estrada admitted that he was not 100 percent in their February 2018 fight that had the sport clamoring for a rematch. Sor Rungvisai won that fight by majority decision and the WBC ordered a rematch between the two.
“I had a knee injury first time around and my reactions were not the same. I could not run the same, I was tired but I showed heart. The final round was one of the best rounds of the year, and if I was 100 percent prepared with no injuries the whole fight would have been like that and maybe he wouldn’t handle that round,” Estrada said.
While the rematch did not occur immediately, Estrada and Sor Rungvisai had their own journeys to go through in anticpation of the bout. Estrada fought twice more in 2018, dominating Felipe Orucuta and Victor Mendez.
Sor Rungvisai, on the other hand, returned to his native Thailand for two fights after the Estrada bout. Sor Rungvisai first had a stay-busy non-title fight against Young Gil Bae, in which Sor Rungvisai stopped him in the first round, and then retained his title with a 12-round decision against Iran Diaz last fall.
“I’ve always said there’s always a second chance and we need to take advantage of it,” Estrada said. “I was 50 percent prepared last time, not because I didn’t want to train but because I had some injuries that affected my preparation and we had no choice but to keep facing the fight as it was a very important fight. This rematch is an opportunity and we will make the most out of it because we are well trained and the goal is to be a World Champion, doesn’t matter if it’s against Rungvisai or anyone else.”
The rematch for the WBC super flyweight title will take place on April 26 at The Forum and it will headline a Matchroom Boxing USA card that will be streamed on DAZN.
