Madison Square Garden was filled to the brim with boos at roughly 11:30 PM on Saturday night. That’s because Román González, also known as “El Chocolatito” and arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, survived a war with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai only, to lose in a controversial decision that left the boxing world angry and eager for an immediate rematch.
El Chocolatito had come into Saturday’s fight undefeated with 46 wins and 38 knockouts, but the Nicaraguan lost to split decision despite his Thai opponent losing a point for an illegal head-butt in the seventh round. Many boxing publications had scored the fight towards González, which made the result more surprising and disappointing for his contingent of fans that believed he would get the decision. Two of the three judges disagreed, scoring the fight 114-112 to Rungvisai, while the third judge ruled it a 113-113 draw.
Disappointment quickly turned to anger on the Internet (as things are wont to do), as the beloved Chocolatito’s fans shared their disapproval of the judges’ decision to give him the first loss of his career. Among the strong reactions were Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and rapper Baby Bash, who both felt that Chocolatito was robbed of his junior bantamweight title.
After the fight, González immediately asked for a rematch, saying that he felt he won the fight and that he wants to get his title back from Rungvisai. Given how well received the fight was until the decision, you can bet that it will happen soon.
In the other main event from Saturday night, Gennady Golovkin continued his own undefeated run, taking down Daniel Jacobs in a closer-than-expected match-up that also went to decision. GGG now will probably look, once again, to get a fight with Saul “Canelo” Álvarez, as that match-up is one of the most anticipated in contemporary boxing.