Francisco Rodriguez Clears Path To Nietes Showdown
By Cliff Rold
While officially campaigning at 108 lbs., 21-year old former WBO/IBF unified 105 lb. titlist Francisco Rodriguez (17-2-1, 11 KO) of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico had unfinished non-title business at Flyweight to take care of on Saturday night at the Palenque de la Feria, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico.
For the second fight in a row, Rodriguez was matched with 22-year old Jomar Fajardo (14-6-2, 7 KO) of Binangonan, Rizal, in the Philippines. Their first fight, contested on Fajardo’s home country, ended in a ten-round draw that looked like a Rodriguez win. Rodriguez, with a knockdown in the second round, left no room for doubt this time earning a unanimous decision in ten rounds.
The successive Fajardo fights came on the heels of Rodriguez’s title unification win over Japan’s Katsunari Takayama. Rodriguez-Takayama was the BoxingScene and ESPN Fight of the Year in 2014. Rodriguez can now firmly set his sights on WBO 108 lb. titlist Donnie Nietes of the Philippines.
Both men came into the bout at 110 lbs., both men coming in less than they had the first time. For their initial bout in November 2014, Rodriguez weighed 113 and Fajardo 112.
Fajardo came out flashing the jab at the opening bell. Rodriguez stalked but threw almost nothing for the first minute. That changed as the round progressed. Rodriguez found opening for the right. Both men traded left hooks to head and body. Rodriguez landed a particularly harsh left to the flanks in the final thirty seconds of the first.
Rodriguez was waiting at mid-ring as the bell for round two sounded. The aggressive Rodriguez forced a slip from Fajardo in the round that briefly had the crowd thinking knockdown. The referee waved it off. Rodriguez would send Fajardo down again before the round was done, this time for real, to seize firm control of the contest.
Control was maintained in the next three rounds. Rodriguez was outfighting Fajardo inside and using his legs when Fajardo tried to take the initiative. A Rodriguez slip in the fifth was caused by water in his corner and a brief break was called to wipe down the ring canvas.
Boxing more than brawling, Rodriguez continued to stymie Fajardo’s attempts to find a way into the fight. Rodriguez slipped in the corner again in the seventh, the only break in what was a pattern fight by then.
Obliged in the eighth, Fajardo matched Rodriguez in some exciting exchanges in the eighth. Taking a step back, Rodriguez closed the frame catching a charging Fajardo with sharp counters at range.
Leaning shoulder to shoulder, Fajardo landed some sharp uppercuts in the early going of the ninth while Rodriguez looked to clinch. Chasing furiously in the final round, Fajardo found Rodriguez a moving target. It was an honest effort at a big turnaround but it wasn’t to be.
Rodriguez was rewarded for his work on the night at scores of 97-92, 99-90 and a shutout 100-92.
Rodriguez entered the bout rated number one by the WBO at 108 lbs. Nietes, also recognized by Ring Magazine as the champion at Jr. Flyweight and a former WBO titlist at 105 lbs., is largely considered the class of his division.
Only two other men in the history of the 105 lb. division had unified a portion of the title prior to Rodriguez: Hall of Famer Ricardo Lopez and current Flyweight contender Kazuto Ioka. Both Lopez and Ioka went on to win a title at 108 lbs.
Rodriguez will have his chance to match that feat sometime in 2015. Nietes is expected to stay in the division for the time being, though there was discussion in 2014 of a rise to the deep Flyweight division. Should it happen, Nietes-Rodriguez may be the most attractive pairing at Jr. Flyweight since Giovani Segura’s first knockout of Ivan Calderon gave fans the 2010 BoxingScene and Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.
The card was broadcast in the US on UniMas as part of its “Solo Boxeo” series, promoted by Zanfer.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
