David Carmona Outpoints Determined Ricardo Rodriguez
Jul 26, 2014 • 12:30 PM ET
By Jake Donovan
David Carmona overcame a rough start and a hand injury to take a unanimous decision over Ricardo Rodriguez in their 10-round super flyweight bout Friday evening.
Scores were 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92 for Mexico City's Carmona, who fought for the first time since a title fight knockout loss to Omar Narvaez last December.
The bout aired live on Telemundo from Auditorio Plaza Condesa in Mexico City.
There was nothing easy about the fight for Carmona; in fact, the grueling affair came at a heavy price that could disrupt plans for a hoped-for fall showdown with Jonathan Vidal, who did his part with a win on Telemundo last Friday in Kissimmee, Florida.
Carmona boxed well in the openign round, but quickly found himself with his hands full as Rodriguez applied relentless pressure. A wild third round saw both fighters score repeatedly with left hooks upstairs, but it was Rodriguez who was forcing the fight and daring his countryman to abandon his strategy and engage in a brawl.
To his credit, Carmona never took the bait. However, what he wound up catching was a busted knuckle on his left hand, which he believes occurred around the fourth round.
The 23-year old fringe contender bit through the pain, never abandoning his left hook, including a digging body shot that nearly dropped Rodriguez. Neither fighter hit the canvas, though not for a lack of trying as both boxers had their say over the course of the 10-round main event.
Carmona improves to 17-2-4 (8KOs), looking impressive after struggling to a 1-1-1 stretch in his past three contests. A seven-fight win streak comes to a close for Rodriguez, who falls to 9-2 (3KOs).
UNDERCARD
Irving Cruz violently snatched the "0" of Ricardo Banuelos, knocking out the two-fight rookie in the third round of their super welterweight chief support.
The fight was an entertaining slugfest for as long as it lasted, but Cruz' power proved to be too much. A left hook floored Banuelos in round two, but the 26-year old gathered his composure and came back strong.
It wasn't strong enough, as Cruz was overwhelming in the decisive third round. A flurry of headshots willed Banuelos to the canvas, remaining flat on his back for several minutes as extensive medical attention was administered the moment referee Lupe Garcia halted the contest.
The unofficial time was 1:16 of round three, accorinding to the displayed Telemundo clock when the fight was stopped.
Cruz improves to 6-2 (5KOs), scoring his third straight knockout win. Banuelos, who turned pro in April, falls to 2-1 (1KO).
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of the
Transnational Boxing Ratings Board
and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter:
@JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
