Jesse Rodriguez Franco vs Srisaket Sor Rungvisai Preview June 25th, 2022
Unbeaten WBC Super Flyweight Champion Jesse Rodriguez Franco of San Antonio, Texas will be defending the title for the first time this Saturday, June 25th when he takes on former WBC Champion and fellow southpaw Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand. The 12-round bout can be seen live in most areas of the world on DAZN. Franco won the vacant belt in February when he dropped former champ Carlos Cuadras in the third round on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Rungvisai last fought in March, 2021 when he beat Ekkawit Songnui after three rounds. Franco stepped in for Rungvasai in February against Cuadras when he had to pull out of the fight and became the current youngest world champion at the age of 22.
Rodriguez is just 22 years old and enters the fight with a perfect mark of 15-0 with 10 Ko’s and possesses quite a bit of power in his arsenal with a current knockout ratio of 66.7 per cent. He’s 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 67-inch reach and is the brother of WBA Super Flyweight Champion Joshua Franco. He made his pro debut in 2017 and has boxed 62 rounds since.
Franco enjoyed a fine amateur career which saw him win the 2015 U.S. National Junior Under-17 Championship at 101 lbs, capture a silver medal at the 2015 World Junior Under-17 Championships at 101 lbs and win the 2016 U.S. National Junior Under-17 Championships at 106 lbs. He stepped up in class against Cuadras earlier this year and passed the test with flying colours and now faces a similar situation against a great veteran and former world champion.
Since turning pro and before meeting Cuadras, Franco’s biggest wins were over the likes of Armando Vazquez, Rauf Aghayev, Cesar Torrijos, Marco Sustaita, Janiel Rivera and Saul Juarez. He also had won six straight fights by knockout until Cuadras took him the distance.
Rungvisai, who’s also known as Wisasksil Wangek, pulled off an upset in March, 2017 when he beat Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez by a controversial majority decision for the WBC Title. He then defended the crown against Chocolatito in their rematch in September, 2018 by fourth-round stoppage and beat Juan Francisco Estrada by majority decision. He defended the title once more and then lost it to Estrada via unanimous decision in their rematch in April, 2019.
The 35-year-old enters this contest with a fine mark of 50-5-1 with 43 Kos. His other losses have come against Carlos Cuadras by eighth-round technical decision in May, 2014, a 10-round unanimous decision to Kenji Oba in February, 2010, a third-round Ko to Yushin Yafuso in June, 2009 and a third-round TKO to Akira Yaegashi in March, 2009. His two stoppage losses came in his first two pro fights and he drew his third outing when he went six rounds with Sean Patavikorngym.
His pro debut came in March, 2009 and he’s boxed 237 rounds since. Rungvisai has lost just three times since dropping his first two fights and had a 20-fight winning streak going with 15 knockouts until losing to Estrada. He’s also beaten Yota Sato, Amnat Ruenroeng, Kwanthai Sithmorseng and Jose Salgado. His win over Sato in 2013 saw him capture the WBC World Title but he lost it in his second defence to Cuadras.
The southpaw stands 5-feet-3-inches tall with a reach of 63.5 inches so gives up an inch in height and 3.5-inches in reach to the champion. Rungvisai definitely has good power as his current knockout ratio stands at an impressive 76.8 per cent. He has a 6-2 mark with 3 Ko’s in world title fights and has gone 4-3 with 2 Ko’s against former, current or future world champions.
Since turning pro Rungvisai has captured the WBC Asian Boxing Council Super Flyweight Title and WBC Silver Super Flyweight Title as well as the WBC World Super Flyweight Title twice and the Ring Magazine Super Flyweight Championship. His win and loss against Estrada were also for the lineal Super Flyweight Championship.
Rungvisai keeps himself busy by taking on limited opposition when he’s not fighting for world titles but he’s 35 years old now and hasn’t fought in 15 months. This is a tough call as it’s hard to tell what he has left at his age. Franco is 13 years younger but if Rungvisai is still at his best he may have the edge over the champion. This could turn out either way and a draw isn’t out of the question either. I’ve got a feeling that Franco is going to do enough to retain the belt but I can’t help feeling Rungvisai still has enough left in the tank to take the belt. I’m flipping a coin here and going with Rungvisai.
