GLENDALE, Arizona – Ashton Sylve’s ring walk lasted a lot longer than his fight Saturday night.
The 18-year-old lightweight prospect stopped Dominican veteran Braulio Rodriguez just 61 seconds into their scheduled eight-round bout at Desert Diamond Arena. Sylve (8-0, 8 KOs), of Long Beach, California, kept his perfect record intact in the co-feature before Jake Paul fought UFC legend Anderson Silva in a Showtime Pay-Per-View main event.
Sylve, who is promoted by Paul’s company, countered Rodriguez with a quick left hook that dropped the Dominican veteran to his gloves and knees. Rodriguez beat referee Tony Zaino’s count, but Zaino waved an end to the action because Rodriguez stumbled into the ropes.
Rodriguez protested the stoppage, despite that he couldn’t stand up straight once he reached his feet.
The Dominican Republic’s Rodriguez, 34, had not fought in nearly three years before Sylve beat him. Though inactive, Rodriguez has lost only to undefeated fighters in Ryan Garcia (then 16-0), Christopher Diaz (then 22-0), Alberto Mercado (then 12-0-1), Carlos Diaz (then 13-0) and Sylve.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.