So, imagine this. I’m sitting here, cup of lukewarm coffee in hand, trying to wrap my head around this wild fight that went down in Birmingham. Francisco Rodriguez Jr—ever heard of him?—just shook things up by giving Galal Yafai a serious run for his money. Talk about an upset! The guy just stormed in there, owned the ring, and walked away with the interim WBC flyweight title like it was no biggie.
Now, let’s talk numbers. Rodriguez snagged the win with scores that were kind of lopsided, like 118-109, 119-108, and another 119-108. I mean, not a single judge thought, “Hey, maybe Yafai’s got a chance?” Nah, it was all Rodriguez. And Yafai, poor guy, he was just standing there, taking it all in like a champ—no pun intended.
Rodriguez, who’s had his fair share of tough losses overseas, decided this was his night. Yafai, who was looking forward to maybe, someday soon, a world title fight, just couldn’t catch a break. And you know, Yafai’s got that Olympic gold from Tokyo, but this time, it just wasn’t his night. Sometimes, being an Olympic medalist doesn’t mean you’ll always be the top dog in the pro leagues.
Oh! You’ll love this. From the bell, Rodriguez went all-out, throwing punches like there was no tomorrow. Yafai? He was down in the 12th. Can you picture that? Final round, and bam, on the canvas. Rodriguez said something like, “We needed to steamroll him.” Apparently, his team was all for turning up the heat.
And, Rodriguez had nothing but respect for Yafai—said he was smart to clinch. I imagine him saying something like, “Yeah, if Yafai hadn’t been clinging on, I would’ve knocked him flat.” A little bravado never hurt anyone, right?
Oh, wait, before I forget, Rodriguez might be making a little trip to Japan to face Kenshiro Teraji. He’s eager, like a kid wanting dessert after veggies, calling out “Teraji, let’s do this!” He’s been to Japan before, maybe he likes the sushi?
Now, Conah Walker. Let’s just say, he’s on fire right now. Knocked out Liam Taylor in the seventh, and it wasn’t a cakewalk. Taylor, to his credit, gave it all he had. But Walker, man, he knows his strengths and played them well.
Funny story with Peter McGrail. Faced off against Ionut Baluta—wasn’t even supposed to be his opponent. Life throws curveballs, huh? He won, but not everyone agreed—one of those 95-95, head-scratcher kind of decisions. McGrail’s on a comeback streak, though, after losing to Ja’Rico O’Quinn, who kinda disappeared afterward. Anyway, hope McGrail gets his original matchup rescheduled. Could be interesting.
And then there’s Pat Brown, quickly making a name with his easy win over Ivan Duka. Pat’s aiming high, might end up at cruiserweight once things get serious for him. Promising, for sure.
Last but definitely not least, Tiah-Mai Ayton made quite the splash on her pro debut, knocking out Sara Orszagi. At just 18, she’s someone to keep an eye on in women’s boxing. The scene’s changing, people. Women boxers entering the ring with more skill and flair than ever, and it’s just going to keep growing.
What a time to be a boxing fan, right?
