The final fight of a week of Flyweight action saw Amnat Ruenroeng hold onto his IBF Flyweight strap with a split decision win against McWilliams Arroyo.The champion out of Thailand survived a 6th round knockdown, his speed and activity helping him to fend off the more accurate and powerful Arroyo.
Now 14-0(5), Ruenroeng will be looking at future contests with the stars of the division, including Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada who were both triumphant at the weekend, and hold the other 3 world titles between them.
Puerto Rico's Arroyo 15-2(13) started the contest fairly well, as he found his way inside against the taller champion. Left uppercuts and body shots seemed to be getting to Ruenroeng. But still his work was often untidy, although it was far more effective.
Ruenroeng remained composed, before he was tagged hard and felled in the 6th round. Amnat flourished to end the session and came out determined in the next, regaining control from distance. The 7th and 8th rounds were poor for Arroyo as he lost momentum.
Arroyo covered up well all night, not taking any severe punishment, but often his attacks were wild and fell short where he was countered by the faster Ruenroeng.
Amnat then began to drop off the pace, holding more than anything, while Arroyo became increasingly frustrated. Still the away fighters aggressive approach compared to the negativity from Ruenroeng had to count for something.
Neither really took command in the championship rounds, and it proved crucial as Ruenroeng's earlier work was rewarded on the scorecards.
A close fight was reflected on the cards, 115-114 and 114-113 to Ruenroeng, and 114-113 Arroyo. I scored the contest 115-113 Arroyo.
In a stacked division, Arroyo can bounce back, while Ruenroeng will now be a target, with the likes of Brian Viloria, Juan Carlos Reveco, etc looking to make a statement in a weight class that has boxing fans talking.
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