Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez outpointed Cristian Gonzalez to become a two-division champion Saturday in San Antonio.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is a two-division champion at 23 years old.
The San Antonio fighter defeated Cristian Gonzalez by a wide unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO 112-pound title in spite of what he said afterward was a broken jaw Saturday in the winner’s hometown.
The official scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Rodriguez, eight rounds to four.
“It wasn’t my best performance. I’ll admit that,” Rodriguez said. “I got my jaw broken in like the sixth round or some s—. It really hurts. I can barely talk right now.”
Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) definitely didn’t have an easy time, as a fit, athletic Gonzalez (15-2, 5 KOs) did a good job of sticking and moving for almost the entire 12-round fight.
Plus, the new beltholder fought with the broken jaw for half of the fight.
Still, Rodriguez maintained relentless pressure on his Mexican opponent and cornered him enough to land heavy, eye-catching punches to both the head and body consistently.
That was more than enough to win over the judges.
“He just didn’t want to engage in the fight,” Rodriguez said of Gonzalez. “He kept moving. But I had to figure him out. That’s boxing. I gotta take any style that’s given to you and make sure you get the ‘W’.”
Rodriguez, who defeated Carlos Cuadras to win a 115-pound title and successfully defended twice last year, is now a major player at 112.
He was asked after his victory which big-name flyweight he wants to fight next: WBC titleholder Julio Cesar Martinez or IBF champ Sunny Edwards. (Artem Dalakian holds the WBA belt.)
“Sunny Edwards is the only option,” he said. “He’s been talking, so let’s make it happen.”
It could be a while before Rodriguez gets his next big opportunity because his jaw will have to heal. But he certainly earned it one on Saturday.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez outpointed Cristian Gonzalez to become a two-division champion Saturday in San Antonio.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is a two-division champion at 23 years old.
The San Antonio fighter defeated Cristian Gonzalez by a wide unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO 112-pound title in spite of what he said afterward was a broken jaw Saturday in the winner’s hometown.
The official scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Rodriguez, eight rounds to four.
“It wasn’t my best performance. I’ll admit that,” Rodriguez said. “I got my jaw broken in like the sixth round or some s—. It really hurts. I can barely talk right now.”
Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) definitely didn’t have an easy time, as a fit, athletic Gonzalez (15-2, 5 KOs) did a good job of sticking and moving for almost the entire 12-round fight.
Plus, the new beltholder fought with the broken jaw for half of the fight.
Still, Rodriguez maintained relentless pressure on his Mexican opponent and cornered him enough to land heavy, eye-catching punches to both the head and body consistently.
That was more than enough to win over the judges.
“He just didn’t want to engage in the fight,” Rodriguez said of Gonzalez. “He kept moving. But I had to figure him out. That’s boxing. I gotta take any style that’s given to you and make sure you get the ‘W’.”
Rodriguez, who defeated Carlos Cuadras to win a 115-pound title and successfully defended twice last year, is now a major player at 112.
He was asked after his victory which big-name flyweight he wants to fight next: WBC titleholder Julio Cesar Martinez or IBF champ Sunny Edwards. (Artem Dalakian holds the WBA belt.)
“Sunny Edwards is the only option,” he said. “He’s been talking, so let’s make it happen.”
It could be a while before Rodriguez gets his next big opportunity because his jaw will have to heal. But he certainly earned it one on Saturday.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.
Shakur Stevenson knocked out Shuichiro Yoshino in the sixth round of a scheduled 12-round 135-pound fight Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, the winner’s hometown.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:35.
Stevenson, making his debut at lightweight, dominated his Japanese opponent in every conceivable way.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist picked Yoshino (16-1, 12 KOs) apart beginning in the second round, using his superior ability and quickness to land almost at will and take almost nothing in return.
Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) put Yoshino down with a straight left in Round 2. And the did the same with a right hook in Round 4, when it was already clear that Yoshino was in over his head.
Stevenson continued to deliver a brutal beating in Round 5, prompting referee Allen Huggins to save Yoshino from further punishment.
Now Stevenson will target the top 135-pounders in the world.
“Tell all the other lightweights to get ready,” he said. “I’m waiting for them. I can’t wait for them to finish the fights that they have going on. Then it’s my turn.”
Heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) kept his knockout streak alive, stopping George Arias (18-1, 7 KOs) at the end of Round 3 of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Anderson pounded Arias more and more as the short fight progressed, including a flurry in the final seconds of the third round that wobbled his Dominican opponent.
Arias’ corner decided he had had enough following the round.
***
Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis stopped overmatched Anthony Yigit 21 seconds into the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round bout.
Davis, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist from Norfolk, Virginia, outclassed Yigit in every way. He outboxed him, outworked him and he was next to impossible to hit.
Yigit (26-4-1, 10 KOs) was game throughout but his most significant accomplishment was his ability to absorb a lot of punishment.
Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) put Yigit down with a body shot in the final seconds of Round 8. Then, in Round 9, a series of unanswered blows prompted the referee to stop the bout.
***
Lightweight contenders Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs) of Japan will face off Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown.
Also on the card, heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs) will face George Arias (18-0, 7 KOs), and lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) will take on Anthony Yigit (26-2-1, 10 KOs).
The event will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.
The featured bouts on the card begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and the other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.
Shakur Stevenson knocked out Shuichiro Yoshino in the sixth round of a scheduled 12-round 135-pound fight Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, the winner’s hometown.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:35.
Stevenson, making his debut at lightweight, dominated his Japanese opponent in every conceivable way.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist picked Yoshino (16-1, 12 KOs) apart beginning in the second round, using his superior ability and quickness to land almost at will and take almost nothing in return.
Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) put Yoshino down with a straight left in Round 2. And the did the same with a right hook in Round 4, when it was already clear that Yoshino was in over his head.
Stevenson continued to deliver a brutal beating in Round 5, prompting referee Allen Huggins to save Yoshino from further punishment.
Now Stevenson will target the top 135-pounders in the world.
“Tell all the other lightweights to get ready,” he said. “I’m waiting for them. I can’t wait for them to finish the fights that they have going on. Then it’s my turn.”
Heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) kept his knockout streak alive, stopping George Arias (18-1, 7 KOs) at the end of Round 3 of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Anderson pounded Arias more and more as the short fight progressed, including a flurry in the final seconds of the third round that wobbled his Dominican opponent.
Arias’ corner decided he had had enough following the round.
***
Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis stopped overmatched Anthony Yigit 21 seconds into the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round bout.
Davis, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist from Norfolk, Virginia, outclassed Yigit in every way. He outboxed him, outworked him and he was next to impossible to hit.
Yigit (26-4-1, 10 KOs) was game throughout but his most significant accomplishment was his ability to absorb a lot of punishment.
Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) put Yigit down with a body shot in the final seconds of Round 8. Then, in Round 9, a series of unanswered blows prompted the referee to stop the bout.
***
Lightweight contenders Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs) of Japan will face off Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown.
Also on the card, heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs) will face George Arias (18-0, 7 KOs), and lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) will take on Anthony Yigit (26-2-1, 10 KOs).
The event will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.
The featured bouts on the card begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and the other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Jesse Rodriguez and Cristian Gonzalez on Friday made weight for their flyweight title fight Saturday in San Antonio.
Jesse Rodriguez and Cristian Gonzalez on Friday made weight for their flyweight title fight Saturday at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio (DAZN).
Rodriguez weighed 111.4, .6 below the limit. Gonzalez came in at 112.0.
Rodriguez, a former 115-pound champion, will be trying to win a world title in a second division. Gonzalez will be fighting for a major belt for the first time.
The weights for the other featured bouts: Murodjon Akhmadaliev (121.6) vs. Marlon Tapales (121.8), junior featherweights (for Akhmadaliev’s titles); Jesse Magdaleno (126.0) vs. Raymond Ford (126.0), featherweights.
Jesse Rodriguez and Cristian Gonzalez on Friday made weight for their flyweight title fight Saturday in San Antonio.
Jesse Rodriguez and Cristian Gonzalez on Friday made weight for their flyweight title fight Saturday at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio (DAZN).
Rodriguez weighed 111.4, .6 below the limit. Gonzalez came in at 112.0.
Rodriguez, a former 115-pound champion, will be trying to win a world title in a second division. Gonzalez will be fighting for a major belt for the first time.
The weights for the other featured bouts: Murodjon Akhmadaliev (121.6) vs. Marlon Tapales (121.8), junior featherweights (for Akhmadaliev’s titles); Jesse Magdaleno (126.0) vs. Raymond Ford (126.0), featherweights.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez defeated Cristian Gonzalez by a unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO 112-pound title and become a two-division champion at 23 years old.
The official scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Rodriguez, eight rounds to four.
Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) didn’t have an easy time, as a fit, athletic Gonzalez (15-2, 5 KOs) did a good job of sticking and moving from beginning to end.
Plus, the new beltholder said afterward that his jaw was broken midway through the fight.
Still, Rodriguez maintained relentless pressure on his Mexican opponent and cornered him enough to land heavy, eye-catching punches to both the head and body consistently.
That was more than enough to win over the judges.
Rodriguez, who defeated Carlos Cuadras to win a 115-pound title and successfully defended twice last year, moved down in weight to face Gonzalez.
Marlon Tapales pulled off a major upset, defeating Murodjon Akhmadaliev by a split decision in a battle of southpaws to take the celebrated Ukbek fighter’s two 122-pound titles.
Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs) got off to a strong start, landing his jab and regular power shots from awkward angles that seemed to baffle Akhmadaliev in the early going.
Akhmadaliev (11-1, 8 KOs) began to fight with more urgency in the middle rounds and took charge down the stretch, clearly landing the more damaging shots and wearing his Filipino foe down.
However, it was too little, too late.
One judge gave the fight to the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist by a wide margin, 118-110. However, the other two scored it for the resilient Tapales 115-113, seven rounds to five.
Thus, Tapales, 31, became a unified world champion.
Akhmadaliev was coming off surgery to repair his injured left hand but that didn’t seem to be a factor in the fight.
***
Raymond Ford (left) had no trouble with Jessie Magdaleno. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
Featherweight contender Raymond Ford dropped overmatched former junior featherweight champ Jessie Magdaleno of Las Vegas twice en route to winning a wide decision in their 12-round bout.
The official scores were 119-107, 119-107 and 116-110..
Ford (14-0-1, 8 KOs) outboxed and outworked Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KOs) to control the fight from the opening bell, using his ability, quickness and length to pick the loser apart from the outside.
The Camden, New Jersey, fighter put his counterpart down in the fourth and 11th rounds and hurt him on more occasions.
The shorter Magdaleno was able to work his way inside at times and land punches here and there but not nearly enough to make the fight competitive.
***
Thomas Mattice (right) pulled out a victory in the final round. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
Thomas Mattice stopped Ramiro Cesena in the 10th and final round in a battle of 130-pound prospects that he was losing on the cards.
Cesena (16-1-1, 13 KOs) seemed to have outworked Mattice (21-3-1, 16 KOs) for nine-plus rounds and the latter lost a point in Round 8 for punching after a break, all of which seemed to indicate that Mattice needed a knockout or perhaps multiple knockdowns to win the fight.
Mattice fought with that kind of urgency in the final round, firing off one big right hand after another before finally shaking his Mexican opponent with one of them.
Cesena had his back to the ropes and was taking a series of follow up punches from Mattice when referee Rafael Ramos stopped the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:35.
The ending will be seen as controversial, as many of Mattice’s blows in the final flurry landed on Cesena’s gloves. At the same time, Ramos could argue that the loser wasn’t throwing back at the time of the stoppage.
Cesena led on all three cards after nine rounds, 89-81, 86-84 and 86-84.
***
The featured portion of the Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez card is about to begin on DAZN.
First up: 130-pound prospect Thomas Mattice of Cleveland will face Romiro Cesena of Mexico in a scheduled 10-rounder.
***
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs) will attempt to win a world title in a second division when he faces Cristian Gonzalez (15-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico for a vacant 112-pound belt Saturday at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Rodriguez’s hometown.
The show will be streamed on DAZN.
Also on the card, Murodjon Akhmadaliev (11-0, 8 KOs) of Uzbekistan will defend his 122-pound titles against Marlon Tapales (36-3, 19 KOs) of the Philippines
The featured bouts on the card begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and the co-feature immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez defeated Cristian Gonzalez by a unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO 112-pound title and become a two-division champion at 23 years old.
The official scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Rodriguez, eight rounds to four.
Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) didn’t have an easy time, as a fit, athletic Gonzalez (15-2, 5 KOs) did a good job of sticking and moving from beginning to end.
Plus, the new beltholder said afterward that his jaw was broken midway through the fight.
Still, Rodriguez maintained relentless pressure on his Mexican opponent and cornered him enough to land heavy, eye-catching punches to both the head and body consistently.
That was more than enough to win over the judges.
Rodriguez, who defeated Carlos Cuadras to win a 115-pound title and successfully defended twice last year, moved down in weight to face Gonzalez.
Marlon Tapales pulled off a major upset, defeating Murodjon Akhmadaliev by a split decision in a battle of southpaws to take the celebrated Ukbek fighter’s two 122-pound titles.
Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs) got off to a strong start, landing his jab and regular power shots from awkward angles that seemed to baffle Akhmadaliev in the early going.
Akhmadaliev (11-1, 8 KOs) began to fight with more urgency in the middle rounds and took charge down the stretch, clearly landing the more damaging shots and wearing his Filipino foe down.
However, it was too little, too late.
One judge gave the fight to the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist by a wide margin, 118-110. However, the other two scored it for the resilient Tapales 115-113, seven rounds to five.
Thus, Tapales, 31, became a unified world champion.
Akhmadaliev was coming off surgery to repair his injured left hand but that didn’t seem to be a factor in the fight.
***
Raymond Ford (left) had no trouble with Jessie Magdaleno. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
Featherweight contender Raymond Ford dropped overmatched former junior featherweight champ Jessie Magdaleno of Las Vegas twice en route to winning a wide decision in their 12-round bout.
The official scores were 119-107, 119-107 and 116-110..
Ford (14-0-1, 8 KOs) outboxed and outworked Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KOs) to control the fight from the opening bell, using his ability, quickness and length to pick the loser apart from the outside.
The Camden, New Jersey, fighter put his counterpart down in the fourth and 11th rounds and hurt him on more occasions.
The shorter Magdaleno was able to work his way inside at times and land punches here and there but not nearly enough to make the fight competitive.
***
Thomas Mattice (right) pulled out a victory in the final round. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
Thomas Mattice stopped Ramiro Cesena in the 10th and final round in a battle of 130-pound prospects that he was losing on the cards.
Cesena (16-1-1, 13 KOs) seemed to have outworked Mattice (21-3-1, 16 KOs) for nine-plus rounds and the latter lost a point in Round 8 for punching after a break, all of which seemed to indicate that Mattice needed a knockout or perhaps multiple knockdowns to win the fight.
Mattice fought with that kind of urgency in the final round, firing off one big right hand after another before finally shaking his Mexican opponent with one of them.
Cesena had his back to the ropes and was taking a series of follow up punches from Mattice when referee Rafael Ramos stopped the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:35.
The ending will be seen as controversial, as many of Mattice’s blows in the final flurry landed on Cesena’s gloves. At the same time, Ramos could argue that the loser wasn’t throwing back at the time of the stoppage.
Cesena led on all three cards after nine rounds, 89-81, 86-84 and 86-84.
***
The featured portion of the Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez card is about to begin on DAZN.
First up: 130-pound prospect Thomas Mattice of Cleveland will face Romiro Cesena of Mexico in a scheduled 10-rounder.
***
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs) will attempt to win a world title in a second division when he faces Cristian Gonzalez (15-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico for a vacant 112-pound belt Saturday at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Rodriguez’s hometown.
The show will be streamed on DAZN.
Also on the card, Murodjon Akhmadaliev (11-0, 8 KOs) of Uzbekistan will defend his 122-pound titles against Marlon Tapales (36-3, 19 KOs) of the Philippines
The featured bouts on the card begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and the co-feature immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Video: Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez final news conference.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Cristian Gonzalez on Thursday took part in the final news conference before their fight for the vacant WBO flyweight title Saturday at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio (DAZN).
Video: Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez final news conference.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Cristian Gonzalez on Thursday took part in the final news conference before their fight for the vacant WBO flyweight title Saturday at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio (DAZN).
