Rodríguez Jr. Demolishes Yafai: Goes for the WBC World Flyweight Title

Francisco Rodríguez Jr. Defeats Galal Yafai and Aims for the WBC Flyweight World Title

Francisco Rodríguez Jr. demonstrated his power against Galal Yafai, surpassing him in a fight that brings him closer to the opportunity to dispute the WBC flyweight world title. Rodríguez, with his aggressiveness and forcefulness, was too much for Yafai, who lost his interim WBC title in Birmingham, England. The former world minimumweight champion, Rodriguez, managed to knock down Yafai in the final round of an impressive performance, suggesting he could be a dominant force in the flyweight category. Rodríguez (40-6-1, 27 KOs) won with scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109 over Yafai (9-1, 7 KOs) at the bp pulse LIVE Arena, securing the opportunity to become a world champion in two different weight classes this year. Yafai was overwhelmed by the ferocity and power of Rodriguez, who will now face the winner of the fight between Japanese Kenshiro Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs), WBC and WBA champion, and Ricardo Rafael Sandoval (26-2, 18 KOs), from California, in Japan on July 30.

“After so many defeats, we were able to achieve our goals,” Rodríguez declared through an interpreter.

Francisco Rodríguez Jr.

The boxer added: “We felt that was the only way we had to win: to roll him over. That’s how we got the victory. I was facing a star, he was fighting at home, I was swimming against the current, so I had to work hard. Teraji, call me, we have a pending date after your fight in July.” This was the first professional defeat for Yafai, who won an Olympic gold medal in flyweight in 2021 and impressively knocked out former IBF flyweight world champion Sunny Edwards, his English rival, in the sixth round last November. Rodríguez, 32 years old and originally from Monterrey, was the WBO and IBF world champion in light flyweight from 2014 to 2015, but had recently been competing in super flyweight and was dropping weight for this title opportunity. Rodríguez, who hadn’t lost since a points defeat to the number 1 bantamweight, Junto Nakatani, in 2022, started strong and convincingly won the first round. Rodríguez even momentarily shook Yafai with a short left hook, as his high fight pace was unsettling his opponent.

Yafai, who worked in a car factory south of Birmingham 10 years ago, couldn’t keep the distance, as Rodriguez constantly tied him up to keep the fight at close range. Rodríguez’s aggressiveness prevented Yafai from settling into his usual boxing, and the Mexican’s punches landed with greater force, including two excellent left hooks in the third round. Yafai suffered a cut above his left eye in the second round and in the fourth blood was running down his face, which seemed to incite the Birmingham boxer to intensify his attack. Yafai improved a lot in the fifth round, combining punches in a continuous and fluid manner that disrupted the rhythm of Rodriguez, who dominated most of the early rounds. Rodriguez, who also suffered a cut above his left eye, was again on the defensive in the sixth round, but then had a furious start in the seventh and Yafai was sent backwards by a left hook.

Rodríguez perhaps connected the best punch of the fight in the eighth round, a disguised left hook, but there was a worrying moment before the start of the ninth round when the ring doctor carefully examined the cut above Rodríguez’s left eye.

Both went for the knockout in the ninth round, but Rodriguez ended up better with a barrage of hooks. Despite the cut, Rodriguez was more fluid and powerful with his punches. In addition to being more dangerous with his punches, Rodriguez also outboxed the local hero. Yafai was behind in the final rounds, so it wasn’t the time to try to box, but he was still being hit and at the beginning of the twelfth round he finally succumbed when Rodriguez knocked him down with two right hooks and a left hook that hit him squarely. Yafai, whose left eye was also in bad shape, looked vulnerable for the rest of the assault, as Rodriguez started as he finished, on top.