Rodriguez Pummels Yafai For The Victory
With a title shot on the line, former unified Minimumweight champion Francisco “Chihuas” Rodriguez (40-6-1, 27KO) scored the upset over Galal Yafai for the WBC flyweight interim title.
From the opening round, Chihuas went on the attack, landing hard shots on the body and head that wobbled Yafai several times. The Mexican fought like a Tasmanian devil with unlimited energy, landing punches in bunches.
The normally defensive-minded British Olympic Medalist was getting hit repeatedly with flush shots. Instead of boxing, Yafai showed poor ring IQ by standing and trading with the hard-hitting Rodriguez. In addition, he suffered a cut on the right eye and was visibly weakened from a brutal body attack.
Rodriguez punctured the victory by scoring a knockdown in the final round. When the final bell sounded, two judges scored it 119-108, and one had it 119-109 in favor of the Mexican.
This often happens when amateurs are rushed and face world-level fighters. Matchroom Boxing’s Chairman, Eddie Hearn, believed that Yafai was ready for the next level. A victory for Yafai would have put him against unified champion Kenshiro Teraji.
The rebuilding process starts now. Yafai is a talented fighter and showed a lot of heart by finishing the fight, but they will need to pump the brakes a little bit.
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