Hard-hitting Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will put his Ring and WBC junior bantamweight titles on the line against Juan Francisco Estrada in an eagerly anticipated rematch at the Forum in Inglewood, California on Friday.

Both fighters met 14 months ago at the same venue. On that occasion, the Thai held off a spirited effort from the Mexican former champion in an action-packed bout. Due to the closeness of that first encounter, both men agreed to meet a second time.

“I am very excited to be back in the U.S. fighting at the Forum,” Sor Rungvisai (47-4-1, 41 knockouts) told The Ring through his promoter Bank Thainchai Pisitwuttinan.

“Estrada is a great fighter. We had a war for 12 rounds last time. I believe we will deliver another highly entertaining fight for the fans on April 26th. Estrada is a well-rounded boxer. As for the area I can exploit, we will see that in the ring. I expect a great fight between us, but I am confident I will win the fight and take my world title belts back to Thailand.”

Estrada, who is rated No. 1 by The Ring at 115 pounds, turned professional in 2008. He lost a hard-fought decision to Roman Gonzalez in 2012 before upsetting Brian Viloria five months later to win the WBA and WBO flyweight titles. He made five defenses before moving up in weight.

Since the first Estrada fight, Sor Rungvisai, who is currently rated No. 8 by The Ring pound-for-pound, has fought twice, both times in Thailand, where the national hero thrilled his adoring fans.

After a non-title warm up in July, Sor Rungvisai took on Estrada’s stablemate Iran Diaz in October. The champion proved too strong but was unable to secure his signature knockout win.

“It was a wonderful moment,” the 32-year-old southpaw said. “It was my honor fighting in front of tens of thousands of Thai fans in Thailand. It was truly an unforgettable night.

“I am pleased with the performance. Iran Diaz was a strong challenger, and he fought well on that night. I was pleased to win the fight and keep my world title belts.”

After the homecoming, there were rumors of a unification bout with IBF counterpart Jerwin Ancajas. However, those talks dissipated and Estrada, the WBC mandatory challenger, was the next best option.

Pisitwuttinan of Nakornloung Promotion (NKL) is excited to have been able to work out a deal with Matchroom for his boxer to appear on DAZN and also return to fight in America.

“It is our absolute honor to be working with DAZN and Matchroom,” explained Sor Rungvisai’s handler. “They are the main players in the world of boxing, and we truly believe that this partnership will help our champion to build his name further as a global boxing star.

“It is always great to have our champion fighting in the U.S., especially for this highly anticipated rematch. It will be a great fight on April 26th.”

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AnsonWainwright

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