Veteran Francisco Rodriguez Jr scored an upset in Birmingham, England, and did it in model, dominating Galal Yafai to win the interim WBC flyweight title on huge, unanimous determination scores.
Rodriguez gained the struggle on tallies of 118-109, 119-108, and 119-108, with no choose mysteriously seeing it nearer than the remainder of the world or something. This was a purely one-sided struggle, with respect to the toughness and coronary heart of Yafai, and the scores mirrored that.
Rodriguez (40-6-1, 27 KO) had come up brief in large fights overseas many occasions prior to now, although not for lack of fine effort. On this one, he simply took it to the 32-year-old Yafai (9-1, 7 KO), who was attempting to quick monitor his technique to an actual world title struggle after successful Olympic gold in Tokyo again in 2021.
Nobody ought to query Yafai’s coronary heart or dedication, as he took what could be a career-changing beating on this struggle, and going ahead might be one thing he has to consider. Regardless of the Olympic pedigree, Yafai has by no means been the stereotype of an “Olympic gold medalist,” as he’s extra fighter than boxer and never at all times defensively accountable, to say the least.
Rodriguez examined that from the get-go, letting his palms fly as he put some strain on Yafai, and Yafai was simply by no means capable of actually get into the struggle regardless of his greatest efforts. He was down as soon as within the twelfth and closing spherical.
“We felt it was the one technique to win, like we nearly wanted to steamroll him tonight. That’s what my staff despatched me out to do,” Rodriguez stated. “I used to be dealing with an undefeated fighter, a star who was on the rise, and I needed to work doubly onerous. He was at house, as nicely. I used to be swimming in opposition to the present and we managed to get the job executed.”
“I believe he did very well to face up to pictures,” Rodriguez stated of Yafai. “However he additionally was intelligent. The truth that he was capable of seize maintain of me when he wanted to stopped me from knocking him out. Had he not executed that, had he not clinched a lot, I’d have knocked him out.”
The win might set Rodriguez, 32, up for a visit to Japan and a shot at unified WBC and WBA flyweight titleholder Kenshiro Teraji later this yr. Rodriguez has gone to Japan twice prior to now, shedding to Kazuto Ioka and Junto Nakatani.
“I’d actually sit up for that. I need to say, Teraji, give me a name. We’ve got a date pending after your struggle in July, let’s get it executed,” he stated.
Teraji will face Ricardo Sandoval on July 30 in Yokohama.
Conah Walker continued his scorching streak, retaining his British welterweight title with a seventh spherical knockout win over veteran Liam Taylor.
In a terrific motion struggle, an actual battle, Taylor (28-3-1, 14 KO) gave all of it he had, however he was principally preventing the struggle that Walker (16-3-1, 7 KO) wished, and it paid off for Conah, as Taylor was simply out of fuel in spherical seven and there for the taking. Taylor went out swinging, although, and the 34-year-old has completely nothing to be ashamed of with that effort and the profession he’s had, he’s a battler and he put the work in, however Walker, 30, is simply on a implausible run of type at home degree proper now, actually understands what he’s and isn’t as a fighter, and works onerous to intensify the positives.
Peter McGrail dealt with his enterprise fairly properly in opposition to late substitute opponent Ionut Baluta, successful a majority determination on scores of 95-95, 97-93, and 97-93, and it was the even card that was probably the most questionable, at the very least from the place I sit.
McGrail (12-1, 6 KO) has responded properly with 4 straight wins after his upset loss to Ja’Rico O’Quinn, who has executed completely nothing since apart from bail out of a deliberate rematch with McGrail. Baluta (17-6-1, 3 KO) has been a tricky nut to crack for a lot of fighters through the years, and McGrail did a superb job on this one, having initially been slated to face Shabaz Masoud. Hopefully that one does get rescheduled, as a result of style-wise I believe it could possibly be actually fascinating.
Pat Brown went to 2-0 (2 KO) with a straightforward third spherical stoppage of Croatia’s Ivan Duka (5-6, 3 KO). Brown figures to settle at cruiserweight when his profession will get severe, although for now he’s preventing with contract limits a bit north of 200 lbs. He’s a promising younger fighter.
Talking of, 18-year-old Tiah-Mai Ayton made an eye catching professional debut, as she stopped Sara Orszagi (3-7, 0 KO) within the third spherical of a one-sided struggle.
The matchup was chosen to be what it was, however Ayton actually is somebody to place in your radar in ladies’s boxing, and she or he is probably an early have a look at the sort of younger fighter we’re going to see going professional an increasing number of on the ladies’s aspect of the game. We’re now 13 years faraway from ladies’s boxing first hitting the Olympics, and we’re going to see much more of those younger ladies who’ve been boxing since they had been young children, simply because it has been perpetually in males’s boxing, as a result of the material of ladies’s boxing has modified with the Olympics and much higher highlight on the professional ranks after the Video games in London, Rio, and Tokyo. You’re going to see younger ladies turning professional with far more class and pedigree than prior to now, much more commonly. It’s an thrilling factor, and it’s one thing that can proceed to occur within the years to return.
