Saman Sorjaturong: The Gonzalez Upset and WBC Title Reign
Saman Sorjaturong is a former Thai professional boxer who held world titles at light-flyweight. BoxRec records his career at 45 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws, and notes that his 1995 win over Humberto Gonzalez was named The Ring magazine’s Fight of the Year.
World championship run
On July 15, 1995, Sorjaturong stopped Humberto Gonzalez in the seventh round to win the WBC and IBF light-flyweight titles. BoxRec’s fight record confirms the result. BoxRec’s career notes say the bout was named The Ring magazine’s 1995 Fight of the Year.
That November, Sorjaturong knocked out Yuichi Hosono in the fourth round. The World Boxing Council records the bout as a successful WBC light-flyweight title defense.
Sorjaturong held the WBC light-flyweight championship until October 1999, when Choi Yo-sam defeated him by unanimous decision, according to BoxRec’s career record.
A defining upset in California
The Gonzalez fight took place at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, and ended 58 seconds into Round 7. Both fighters went down twice during the contest. Sorjaturong’s ability to recover and finish a reigning champion made the victory especially memorable within the 108-pound division.
That night brought him two major world titles in a single result. His later WBC defense against Hosono showed that the championship breakthrough was followed by success as a defending titleholder. The reign then continued for several years before the decision loss to Choi in 1999.
Sorjaturong’s career is therefore best understood through both the dramatic Gonzalez victory and the championship period that followed it. The first established him internationally; the subsequent defenses sustained his place among the leading light-flyweights of his era. His Fight of the Year recognition remains closely associated with that pivotal performance.
Sources
Career records and reporting: boxrec.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
