Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez capped a dominating performance by knocking out Sunny Edwards after nine rounds to unify two 112-pound titles.
The fight was competitive in the early rounds, as the quick-handed little men traded accurate shots. However, Rodriguez, the much harder puncher, landed more and more punishing blows as the fight progressed. That made a mess of Edwards’ face and wore him down.
Rodriguez landed the deciding blow in the final seconds of Round 9, a huge right hand that put Edwards on his face. The Briton made his way to his corner, where his handlers decided enough was enough and stopped the action.
You can read a full report here.
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Edwards’ cornermen stop the fight! The last-second knockdown evidently was the last straw for them.
Round 9
Edwards went down from a huge right hand late in the round, in which he had been competitive in spite of his deteriorating condition.
Round 8
Big round for “Bam.” He just beat up Edwards, who is landing his own punches but doesn’t have the power to slow Rodriguez down. How much more of this can Edwards take? He’s cut above the right eye.
Round 7
The biggest difference now is that they’re both landing good shots but Edwards is the only one getting hurt. He has a ton of heart but he might be wearing down under Rodriguez’s attack. Rodriguez’s jab is doing a number on Edwards’ face.
Round 6
Crazy round. They fought toe to toe much of the round, which no one would’ve predicted. And it appeared that Rodriguez might’ve hurt Edwards late in the round, although Edwards bounced back in the final seconds.
Round 5
Rodriguez was able to close the distance better that round but really didn’t get much done inside, although he landed a few good shots. Edwards is still beating Rodriguez to the punch on most occasions. These are hard rounds to score.
Round 4
Edwards landed a series of impressive overhand lefts, which might’ve won him that round. He’s punching often and accurately. Rodriguez has had a more difficult time finding Edwards the past few rounds.
Round 3
Close, back-and-forth round. Edwards is planting his feet, which is a surprise. And he’s having success, which also might be a surprise. He landed a lot of clean shots that round. Rodriguez also got in some good blows.
Round 2
Edwards already has a swollen left eye, which could become a big problem. That was Rodriguez’s round, although both got in there shots. Rodriguez’s shots are heavier and he landed more power punches.
Round 1
Good pace for a first round, although the fighters threw mostly jabs. Edwards look super quick. He caught Rodriguez coming in a few times. Looks like Rodriguez is going to have to figure this guy out.
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Former 122-pound unified titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev knocked out Kevin Gonzalez in the eighth round of a scheduled 12-rounder.
Akhmadaliev (12-1 (9 KOs) put Gonzalez (26-1-1, 13 KOs) down three times, twice in Round 6 and once more in Round 8 before the referee finally stopped what amounted to a beat down.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:49.
The winner asserted himself in the fourth round of a fight that had been competitive, landing hard, punishing blows that allowed him to take control.
The beginning of the end was a left hook, followed by a a left uppercut, that forced Gonzalez onto one knee and hurt him badly. He fought bravely thereafter but was a sitting duck for a superior fighter.
Akmadaliev, a former amateur star from Uzbekistan, lost his titles to Marlon Tapales this past April.
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Flyweight contender Galal Yafai defeated a stubborn, but overmatched Rocco Santomauro by a one-sided decision in a 10-round bout.
Yafai (6-0, 4 KOs) used a combination of skill and high work rate to control the fight, although he never seriously hurt his rugged opponent from Southern California.
Santomauro (22-3, 6 KOs) gave it everything he had and had good moments, slipping in eye-catching punches here and there against the hittable Englishman.
However, Santomauro couldn’t get enough done to win more than a few rounds, which cost him the fight.
The official scores were 99-91, 98-93 and 97-93.
Yafai won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics.
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Ja’Rico O’Quinn got up from two knockdowns to stop 122-pound contender Peter McGrail with a single right hook in the fifth round of a fight he was losing.
McGrail (8-1, 5 KOs) outclassed O’Quinn (17-1-1, 9 KOs) for four-plus rounds, putting him down in the second and fourth rounds and outboxing him from the beginning until the final punch.
O’Quinn had his back to the ropes when McGrail got caught with a perfect shot and fell to the canvas, where he was counted out. The official time of the stoppage was 2:19.
McGrail outlanded O’Quinn overall 102-35, according to CompuBox. And 96 of McGrail’s punches were power shots. O’Quinn landed 24 power punches.
McGrail, a 2020 Olympian, is from Liverpool, England. O’Quinn is from Detroit.
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The little men will take center stage when Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards face off in a 112-pound title-unification bout Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona (DAZN).
Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) and Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) each hold one belt and are considered the best flyweights in the world.
Also featured on the card, former 122-pound titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev (11-1, 8 KOs) will face unbeaten Kevin Gonzalez (26-0-1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 12-rounder.
The featured portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Boxing Junkie will post round-by-round analysis and the result, as well as a brief summary, immediately after the fight ends. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a detailed fight story, analysis and more – will follow on separate posts the night of the card and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
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