BIRMINGHAM, England – Francisco Rodriguez picked up a unanimous decision victory over Galal Yafai to secure his shot at the WBC flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji.
The contest, staged at the BP pulse LIVE, was for Yafai’s WBC interim title. Rodriguez had said beforehand that the only way to beat Yafai in his home city was to apply pressure and hurt him – and he certainly did that.
Rodriguez had Yafai on unsteady legs multiple times during the contest and dropped the 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the 12th round. There have been some questionable scorecards in Britain during the modern era, but the three ringside judges scored accurately on this occasion. The scores read 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109 to Mexico’s Rodriguez, who rose to 40-6-1 (27 KOs), and will next fight for the WBC flyweight title.
Both had promised action from the opening bell, and they delivered. They immediately started throwing from the center of the ring and, midway through the first round, Rodriguez landed a short left hand on the inside that hurt Yafai, who grabbed hold of Rodriguez but took another right hand that again hurt him.
Yafai, 32, pressed forwards but he just could not match Rodriguez’s intensity and size. Rodriguez fought as though a weight division above Yafai, manhandling him and bullying him around the ring.
Rodriguez, also 32, pressed forwards with wild hooks that tagged Yafai in the second. Yafai responded well with a left hand, but it bounced off of Rodriguez’s chin and he clubbed away at him as Yafai tried to cover up.
Yafai fought back well in the third, but he was still getting caught by Rodriguez’s wild looping right hands. Yafai was starting to find a home for his left hand to the body, but they did not seem to be having much of an effect. A cut opened below the left eye of Yafai as the pair met center ring for the fourth session. Yafai, regardless, seemed to be dealing with Rodriguez’s size better; instead of trying to wrestle with the bigger Mexican, he was skipping to the side and countering with his left hand. The pair’s heads clashed as they came together late in the session, and a nasty cut opened above Rodriguez’s left eye.
Yafai continued to press forwards and succeeded with his left hand in the fifth, but Rodriguez caught him with a looping right that again seemed to daze Yafai. Yafai bravely pushed on, but he kept on getting caught with the same shot and it seemed only a matter of time before one sent him to the canvas.
Yafai was having a good sixth session, countering Rodriguez well, but towards its conclusion Rodriguez stepped in and landed a hard right hand that hurt Yafai. The Mexican then followed it up with three more that all landed on the top of Yafai’s head. Yafai was hurt, but the bell sounded moments later.
It was not long before Rodriguez had Yafai hurt again. Early in the seventh the Mexican landed a left hand that had Yafai wobbling around and trying his best to hold on. Rodriguez landed a hard right and pushed Yafai to the floor. It was ruled a push, but Yafai was visibly hurt and did well to survive the rest of the session.
Rodriguez again piled the pressure on Yafai in the eighth and the home fighter was looking worse and worse. He was fighting back valiantly, but he was taking too many shots, and it was approaching the time where Yafai’s corner would have to start thinking about pulling him out.
The ringside doctor had a good look at Rodriguez’s cut before deciding he was fit to continue for the ninth round. Rodriguez flew out at Yafai and landed a right hand that sent blood spraying across ringside. Yafai looked completely out on his feet as he ate another left hand. His brothers Kal and Gamal screamed for him to hold from ringside, until the bell sounded moments later. The 10th, similarly, was tough to watch for those supporting Yafai. He was getting caught with what seemed like every shot that Rodriguez threw, and a right hand sent him sprawling into the ropes.
Yafai fought back well in the 11th, but early into the 12th the seemingly inevitable happened. A hard right hand sent him to the canvas in a heap. He returned to his feet and grabbed hold of Rodriguez as he came in to land another heavy shot. Rodriguez would not let Yafai breathe and continued to club away at him. The referee probably let Yafai get away with more holding than he should have, but Yafai did well to hear the final bell on his feet. The official scores were read out and Rodriguez lept to the top rope in celebration.
“Teraji, give me a call,” said Rodriguez post-fight. “We have a date pending, let’s get it on.”
Yafai fell to 9-1 (7 KOs) after suffering the first defeat of his professional career. So soon after his finest hour against Sunny Edwards, it is unclear what will come next.