The action started slower than did March's melee in which Runvisai downed Gonzalez right off the bat. It was not a 13th round, instead 'twas a feeling-out process all anew. Still, it was obvious from seconds after the bell that the former Thailand garbageman had Chocolatito's number and was in his head for six months. Gonzalez over-worked angles and fretted to the ref about headbutts.
In the second stanza, Gonzalez looked most hisself, but too he looked slow. Very slow. Furthermore, he looked aggravated by this. He was being out-punched and out-worked; something that he used to do to others in epic proportions, whenst he wore a younger man's clothes. Twixt second and third stanzas, Gonzalez's Japanese trainer spoke to him in Spanish and his words were translated by HBO for my English ears. But it didn't matter what was said. Come home with yer shield or on it. You could see in his eyes he knew it was time. You could also tell he knew the ending.
Some good leather was swapped in round three, but again Rungvisai out-did his opponent, landing powerful flurries with a quickness that could not be matched. This is the round where even mid exchange, Chocolatito looked his most hesitant. Perhaps in the face of the writing on the wall, your pen moves more slowly.
As the fourth and the fight itself unfurled, the southpaw Runvisai connected with a right which dropped Gonzalez hard. Still game and full a' bravado and muscle memory, Chocolatito, a hero in his native Nicaragua and for good reason, regained his vertical alignment. In short order though, the fat lady oth la sung-a and with another thudding right, Gonzalez's night was brutally ended with him laid out cold on his back. He was roused after some time and taken immediately up-on that to the local hospital. To my eye, it looked like a potential busted jaw. He was caught open-mouth'd with the KO punch, and the mouthpiece stayed in his mouth a long-time after, whenst usually the ref or a corner-man will free it post haste.
Whilst many, including myself, hath treated this as a funeral for the career of Gonzalez, I believe we can all agree that Pacquiao's KO at the hands of Marquez was all the more showing and telling of age catching up to a pug. With that in mind for perspective, lettuce look instead toward the most excellent story of the rising now rose Rungvisai. His next defense is looking to be against Juan Francisco Estrada whom oh-so narrowly outpointed Carlos Cuadras in the Superfly under-card -- wherein someone secretly replaced Michael Buffer with Steve Harvey to initially have read the victor's name incorrectly.
It's just hard not to like Rungvisai moving forward. Moving backwards though, maybe check out my post: Chocolatito Seeks Revenge on Rungvisai in which I recap I and predict II quite well, indeed. You can also LISTEN to me review this fight and more boxing, baseball, and cigar stuffs by clicking play below.