Theophane’s Late Surge Leads to Upset of Rodriguez
By Cliff Rold
Seemingly behind for much of the fight, a late surge by 29-year old London Welterweight Ashley Theophane (27-4-1, 7 KO) turned out to be enough for an upset majority decision win over 30-year old contender Delvin Rodriguez (25-5-2, 14 KO) on Friday night at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Both men came in just above the Welterweight limit of 147 lbs., Theophane at 147 ½ and Rodriguez at 147 ¾. Theophane has now won seven of his last eight while Rodriguez falls to 1-3 in his last four.
Rodriguez began behind the left jab, shooting the blow and backing Theophane up. A wide right from Theophane sailed off the guard of Rodriguez but Theophane was able to land a left to the ribs. Rodriguez landed a left of his own to the body as the men worked in close, pressuring as Theophane circled. Theophane dug in during a clinch, Rodriguez pushing off and staying with the jab down the stretch of the round to keep his opponent at bay.
Taller by around five inches at 6’0, the Rodriguez jab again controlled the action in round two, left hooks and rights over the top getting closer to their intended targets. An accidental clash of heads brought only a brief halt to both battlers and no cut was produced.
In round three, an early left to the body caused Theophane to react as if hit low but referee Gerald Ritter immediately signaled no foul and the action continued unabated. Theophane’s best work remained to the body, returned by Rodriguez’s counter left to the belly.
The tone of the action changed little in the fourth, both men working hard but struggling to land their Sunday best. In the early going of the fifth, a left hook from Theophane caught the arms of Rodriguez, the favorite alert as he stayed disciplined with his jab. Theophane found the mark with a sweeping overhand right hut Rodriguez was unfazed and worked in some crisp straight shots towards the stomach. Another Theophane right touched Rodriguez and retaliatory rights down the stretch were blocked.
The calculated aggression of Theophane produced in round six as it had earlier, occasional hard shots weighed against the steady jab and boxing of Rodriguez. Increasingly by round seven, the rights of Theophane were connecting, Rodriguez landing a big right of his own in the final minute.
The tide shifting to Theophane in the previous round moved even more in round eight, Theophane landing a sharp left hook and backing Rodriguez up with a right. Rodriguez landed his own right with more frequency but still seeing little success off the left hook. Rodriguez dug deep in round nine, seizing the initiative back and forcing Theophane backwards. Theophane swung wildly out of a corner in the best exchange of the frame.
With Rodriguez looking ahead in the scoring, the final round got underway with both men firing hard jabs and power shots in pursuit of victory. Both men landed rights between brief clinches, Theophane coming forward with a look of desperation while Rodriguez showed signs of fatigue. A Theophane left to the body was followed with a right over the top in the final minute as Rodriguez fell into a defensive posture. A final Theophane right landed in the last ten seconds to give him the final round and set up the scorecard surprise.
Given some close rounds early, and his strong late surge, perhaps it was not as surprising as first seemed at announcement as Theophane emerged with victorious with scores of 96-94 twice. The third judge scored the action even at 95-95.
For Rodriguez, it is a heavy setback. Having suffered a narrow draw and loss in vacant IBF title opportunities against Issac Hlatshawyo in 2008 and 2009, and a heavily scrutinized loss to Rafal Jackiewicz in an IBF eliminator in 2009, Rodriguez is likely to lose his current #3 rating in the IBF’s ratings. Theophane entered the bout unrated and can hope to improve that standing with his victory.
It would not be the only upset of the evening.
In the televised opener, a foul blow after the bell by 22-year old Super Middleweight Francisco Sierra (22-3, 20 KO), 170 ½, of Mexico brought a two-point deduction and sent matters to the cards early when 25-year old Don George (20-1-1, 17 KO), 167, of Chicago, Illinois, was unable to continue after the five minute recovery period following round seven. George, previously undefeated, needed a lot more than two points. Dropped hard earlier in the seventh, George had taken a comprehensive beating for much of the completed action and fell to unanimous scores of 69-62 twice and 68-63. The referee was Gary Ritter.
The card was broadcast in the U.S. on basic cable outlet ESPN2 as part of its Friday Night Fights series, promoted by Joe Deguardia’s Star Boxing.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com