Tonight, in a rematch of last December’s thrilling WBC light flyweight title clash, Kompayak Porpramook and Adrian Hernandez meet again in a bid to settle their scores once and for all. It may not be the most talked about match-up, but that bears no indication of the action that can be anticipated when the two step through the ropes in the Centro de Convenciones in Toluca, Mexico.
If you’re a fan of great action fights – and you are, aren’t you? – then you should seek this fight out tonight as it’ll be live streamed on WBCBoxing.TV.
Last time out, Hernandez took to the road, venturing all the way to Thailand where he met Porpramook in what was supposed to be just another defense of his title. What followed were close to ten rounds of intense, back and forth combat as the duo slugged it out — the champion clinging proudly to his belt, the native challenger trying to wrestle it from his grasp.
Ultimately, Porpramook scored the big 10th round KO win to win the championship. However, despite its fiercely compelling nature, the fight did not receive the acclaim it should have.
There are several plausible explanations for this, one being the fact that neither of the two men are particularly well known, another being that they fight in the second smallest weight category – light flyweight, a division often bereft of big names and super-fights. Throw in the fact that the bout took place in Thailand and it’s no wonder it caused little more than a ripple in the western world.
Through the indirect marketing tool that is word of mouth, awareness of Porpramook and Hernandez’ battle grew ever so slightly. Boxing forums made mention of the fight and made their second meeting one to pencil into the diary.
Porpramook will be hoping to hold on to the title he won as a huge underdog. For the majority of their first fight, he spent his time clubbing to Hernandez’ body, forcing him to the ropes and working him over with short hooks from either side.
There was little by way of sweet science from the Thai, but what he lacked in technique he made up for in relentless volume punching. Hernandez played his part in the duel too, of course. His beautiful combinations of uppercuts worked to great effect, though in the end he paid the highest price for neglecting his rangy jab and height advantage in favor of a more optimistic and open offensive approach.
There are questions on both sides of the fence as to what will be different tonight. Hernandez puts emphasis on the Bangkok heat for his defeat first time around but told the press that the importance of fighting on home soil was not lost on him, stating “now before my people, things will be very different”.
Porpramook, on the other hand, sounded confident of a repeat victory upon his arrival in Mexico, “I beat him once and I’ve come to win for the second time. I’m sure that the title is returning to Thailand with me.”
Both men came in slightly under the 108 lb limit and so the lines have been drawn. They are in shape, full of belief and ready to go to war. Hernandez must learn from the mistakes made in their first match-up. He failed to make full use of his height and reach advantages, instead standing in the pocket and trading.
He also simply covered up when Porpramook came back at him, when he should have used the ring. If he uses his jab and does not get drawn into another tear-up, Hernandez should take back his title on points in front of his home crowd and in doing so potentially set up a rubber match down the line.
Nonetheless, whatever happens tonight, Hernandez and Porpramook will likely continue to forge careers as cult heroes of the lower weights — always exciting no matter how big the crowd that watches on.
