Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Carlos Cuadras rematch keeping Feb. 5 date on DAZN

Though the original main event between Jessie Vargas and Liam Smith has been postponed, DAZN will go ahead with their Feb. 5 date in Phoenix, Arizona, with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai facing Carlos Cuadras in a rematch for the vacant WBC junior bantamweight title.

Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KO) and Cuadras (39-4-1, 27 KO) first met back in 2014, with Cuadras winning a technical decision after eight rounds, the fight stopped on a cut on Cuadras’ eye from a clash of heads. Scores for that one were 77-75, 77-74, and 78-73.

Since then, Rungvisai has risen into the top ranks of the 115 lb division, starting with a pair of wins over Chcoolatito Gonzalez in 2017, and a win over Juan Francisco Estrada in 2018, before losing a rematch with Estrada in 2019.

The 35-year-old Thai bruiser has won his last three bouts.

Cuadras, 33, has been up and down over the last few years. In 2016, he lost his WBC belt to Chocolatito Gonzalez, and also lost to Estrada in 2017 and McWilliams Arroyo the next year. After three wins, he was stopped in the 11th round of a rematch with Estrada in 2020, an excellent fight, and the last time Cuadras was in the ring.

Estrada vacated the WBC title last year in order to seek a third fight with Chocolatito Gonzalez, which is coming on March 5 in San Diego, also on DAZN. It seems quite possible the winners of Estrada-Chocolatito 3 and Rungvisai-Cuadras 2 will meet for the WBA and WBC belts, though not a guarantee.

“I’m really looking forward to winning in this championship bout,” said Rungvisai. “I really want to become the first three-time WBC champion of Thailand. I also have an unfinished business with Juan Francisco Estrada.”

“I am very excited for this opportunity to fight for another world title,” said Cuadras. “We are sparring three or four different southpaws that have a similar style to Rungvisai. We are ready to win, and I am training very well in the high-altitude mountains of Mexico.”