Francisco Rodríguez Jr. is one step closer to a shot at the WBC world flyweight title.
The 32-year-old Mexican professional boxer drew Galal Yafai into a brawl and then relentlessly outpunched him to beat his opponent in Birmingham, England, on Saturday.
Former world minimumweight (straw weight) world champion Rodríguez floored Yafai in the final round of a dazzling performance, which suggests he could be a force at flyweight.
Rodríguez (40-6-1, 27 KOs) triumphed by scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109 over Yafai (9-1, 7 KOs) at the bp pulse LIVE Arena (formerly the NEC Arena) to book himself a chance to become a two-weight world champion later this year.
Yafai was overwhelmed by the ferocity and power of Rodríguez, who progresses to face the winner of the clash between Japan’s Kenshiro Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs), the 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 objectives,” Rodríguez said through an interpreter afterward.
“We felt it was the only way to win we had — to steamroller him. That’s how we got the win. I was facing a star, he was fighting at home, I was swimming against the current so I had to work hard.
“Teraji give me a call, we have a date pending after your fight in July.”
It was the first professional defeat for Yafai, who won an Olympic gold medal at flyweight in 2021 and impressively stopped former IBF world flyweight champion Sunny Edwards, his English rival, in Round 6 last November.
But Yafai, 32, whose elder brother Kal reigned as WBA world junior bantamweight champion from 2016 to 2020, brawled rather than boxed to play into Rodriguez’s hands from the start.
Rodríguez, from Monterrey, had reigned as WBO and IBF world minimumweight champion from 2014 to 2015, but more recently has campaigned at junior bantamweight and was coming down a division for this title opportunity.
Rodríguez, who had not lost since a points loss to world bantamweight No. 1 Junto Nakatani in 2022, made a fast start and convincingly won Round 1. Rodríguez even rocked Yafai momentarily with a short left uppercut as his high tempo troubled his opponent.
Southpaw Yafai, who was working in a car factory south of Birmingham 10 years ago, could not sustain boxing at range as Rodríguez continually tied him up to keep the fight at close range.
Rodríguez’s aggression meant Yafai could not settle into his usual boxing and the Mexican’s punches landed with more spite, including two great left hooks in Round 3.
Yafai suffered a cut above his left eye in Round 2 and by Round 4 blood was pouring down his face, which seemed to prompt the Birmingham-based boxer to intensify his attack.
Yafai was much improved in the fifth as he continually and smoothly put together combinations that disrupted Rodriguez’s rhythm, which had dictated most of the early rounds. Rodríguez, who was also cut above his left eye, was again on the backfoot in Round 6 but then made a furious start to Round 7 and Yafai was sent back on his heels from a left hand.
Rodríguez landed perhaps the best punch of the fight in Round 8, a disguised left uppercut, but there was a worrying moment before the start of Round 9 when the ringside doctor took a long look at the cut above the Rodríguez’s left eye.
Both went for the KO in Round 9, but Rodríguez finished better with a fusillade of hooks.
Despite the cut, Rodríguez was more fluent and powerful with his punches. As well as being more dangerous with his punches, Rodríguez also outlanded the home hero.
Yafai was behind by the later rounds, so it was not the time to try and box, but he kept getting caught and early in Round 12 he finally succumbed when Rodríguez floored him with two right hooks and a left hooks that landed flush.
Yafai, whose left eye was also a mess, looked vulnerable for the remainder of the round as Rodríguez started how he finished, on top.
