Thai boxer Srisaket Sor Rungvisai successfully retained his WBC Super Flyweight title at ONE: Kingdom of Heroes following a unanimous decision victory over Mexican Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz in Bangkok, Thailand. One person who witnessed the fight is rising Filipino pug Jerwin Ancajas.
The word out is that Ancajas and his team flew to Bangkok to formally challenge Rungvisai. Although it was not mentioned, the challenge was likely made after the ONE Championship event that went down at the Impact Arena.
On whether Ancajas and Rungvisai can get something done should be revealed in the coming days. For now, the Filipino fighter caught a glimpse of things to come should a clash be sealed.
Diaz, who ironically sees Ancajas as the likely successor to Manny Pacquiao, felt the wrath of the Thai champion. As predicted, Rungvisai tried to wear down the Mexican with body shots. He was the more aggressive fighter starting the seventh round.
Both fighters vowed to go for a knockout, something that never happened. Rungvisai slipped a couple of times and that was it. But one thing was clear – Rungvisai is someone who can turn up the heat when he wants to.
Although Diaz and Ancajas are two different fighters, it seems pretty clear that Rungvisai will do the same. He targets the body to wear down his opponent, something that he is likely to do if he ever does face Ancajas.
Blessed with lightning speed and a punch behind his punches, the Thai champion may have his work cut out for him. On several occasions, Rungvisai got caught by Diaz punches even when tangled although he was not really hurt by them. The case could be different with Ancajas.
One other thing to consider is that Ancajas has been far from impressive in his last two fights. He struggled past fellow Filipino Jonas Sultan and had a below-par performance against Alejandro Santiago. Against Rungvisai, the 26-year-old cannot afford mistakes since such could lead to a potential knockout.
Ancajas does have the time to prepare, assuming that his camp was able to convince Rungvisai. After that dominant performance on Diaz, his group needs to do their homework and study the Thai’s style and avoid an embarrassing outcome.
Having just disposed of Diaz, Rungvisai is likely to take some time off to heal his scars. He may have dominated Diaz but he did get some shots from the Mexican in Bangkok. Should a fight be agreed upon, an official date for the clash could be set in 2019.
