Comments Thread For: Ruthless Francisco Rodriguez beats up Galal Yafai to earn shot at Kenshiro Teraji

[Corelone]

I wish losses in boxing didn't mean so much, there's been ufc superstars with as many losses as Francisco, some ever more and some don't even win the world title and they remain big deals.

Winning your fair share and being in entertaining fights against top guys should be what it's about, not being undefeated.

I didnt say anything bad about Rodriguez. Some guys learn from their loses. I was knocking a 32 year old? 9 fight wonderboy stepping into the deep end for the first time.

[BustedKnuckles]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, underestimate unknown Mexicans with good records at your own peril. And by the way, how much holding did the referee allow Yafai to get away with? Ridiculous. I bet if it was the other way around the guy would have gotten disqualified.

and it wasn't just regular clinching, the ref could barely rip yafai away each time.

But it was more than holding too. Holding, forearms, pushing his head against Rodriguez... in rd 9 after the doc looked at Rodriguez' cut, it looked yafai was trying to make it worse by rubbing his glove and head against that cut.

[JonDP]

Francisco Rodriguez Jr. is unknown? Do you even watch boxing?

He was the former WBO/IBF minimumweight world titlist and has been in there with Chocolatito, Junto Nakatani, Donnie Nietes, Kazuto Ioka, Moises Fuentes, Katsunari Takayama, Oswaldo Novoa, Hernan Marquez, Ramon Garcia Hirales, and Merlito Sabillo among others.

And did he win any of the fights against the big names? Nope, he lost all of them, so he wasn't exactly a known commodity and in all likelihood Yafai and his team underestimated him, otherwise they would have had the semblance of a game plan.

[famicommander]

And did he win any of the fights against the big names? Nope, he lost all of them, so he wasn't exactly a known commodity and in all likelihood Yafai and his team underestimated him, otherwise they would have had the semblance of a game plan.

He beat:
Katsunari Takayama (reigning IBF minimumweight champion, eventual 5X minimumweight champion [1 WBC, 2 IBF, 2 WBO reigns]
Oswaldo Novoa (former WBO minimumweight champion)
Hernan Marquez (former WBO flyweight champion)
Ramon Garcia Hirales (former WBO light flyweight champion)
Merlito Sabillo (reigning WBO minimumweight champion)

He beat two reigning world titlists and three former world titlists.

Again, he was literally the unified WBO/IBF minimumweight world champion. He made 4 world title challenges in his career and went 2-2 in those fights, 5-5 in fights against world title winning opposition. Yafai makes the second interim world titlist he has beaten.

Again, Francisco Rodriguez was absolutely a known quantity for people who follow the lower weight divisions. If you didn't know who he was or what he brought it's your own fault.

Nobody should have to explain to you who a guy is when that guy is a former unified champion that has fought at least four Hall of Fame fighters.

[leftuppercutko]

Beautiful fight by Rodriguez. I think he should have been given at least two extra knockdowns I saw at least three times when the ropes held Yafa up and another when he took a combination of about four punches and The ref called it a slip. Was very happy that the judges got it right. Can't wait to see Rodriguez challenge for the championship.

[JOITATS]

He beat:
Katsunari Takayama (reigning IBF minimumweight champion, eventual 5X minimumweight champion [1 WBC, 2 IBF, 2 WBO reigns]
Oswaldo Novoa (former WBO minimumweight champion)
Hernan Marquez (former WBO flyweight champion)
Ramon Garcia Hirales (former WBO light flyweight champion)
Merlito Sabillo (reigning WBO minimumweight champion)

He beat two reigning world titlists and three former world titlists.

Again, he was literally the unified WBO/IBF minimumweight world champion. He made 4 world title challenges in his career and went 2-2 in those fights, 5-5 in fights against world title winning opposition. Yafai makes the second interim world titlist he has beaten.

Again, Francisco Rodriguez was absolutely a known quantity for people who follow the lower weight divisions. If you didn't know who he was or what he brought it's your own fault.

Nobody should have to explain to you who a guy is when that guy is a former unified champion that has fought at least four Hall of Fame fighters.

It must be exhausting trying to educate the minions everytime...

[famicommander]

It must be exhausting trying to educate the minions everytime...

We didn't even get into the part where most people thought he got robbed against surefire future Hall of Famer Kazuto Ioka. Based on 33 fan scorecards on BoxRec, they had it 116-112 for Rodriguez.

[JonDP]

He beat:
Katsunari Takayama (reigning IBF minimumweight champion, eventual 5X minimumweight champion [1 WBC, 2 IBF, 2 WBO reigns]
Oswaldo Novoa (former WBO minimumweight champion)
Hernan Marquez (former WBO flyweight champion)
Ramon Garcia Hirales (former WBO light flyweight champion)
Merlito Sabillo (reigning WBO minimumweight champion)

He beat two reigning world titlists and three former world titlists.

Again, he was literally the unified WBO/IBF minimumweight world champion. He made 4 world title challenges in his career and went 2-2 in those fights, 5-5 in fights against world title winning opposition. Yafai makes the second interim world titlist he has beaten.

Again, Francisco Rodriguez was absolutely a known quantity for people who follow the lower weight divisions. If you didn't know who he was or what he brought it's your own fault.

Nobody should have to explain to you who a guy is when that guy is a former unified champion that has fought at least four Hall of Fame fighters.

It’s all a sugary field in retrospect, claiming to know it all and that this was going to happen, copying and pasting furiously from boxrec, but my point still stands: they underestimated the guy. And I’d even be willing to bet you didn’t have a penny on Rodriguez winning going into this fight either.

[famicommander]

It’s all a sugary field in retrospect, claiming to know it all and that this was going to happen, copying and pasting furiously from boxrec, but my point still stands: they underestimated the guy. And I’d even be willing to bet you didn’t have a penny on Rodriguez winning going into this fight either.

I watched most of those fights because I follow the lower weight divisions. I didn't need to go to BoxRec to remember who Rodriguez was because I saw him fight multiple Hall of Fame fighters with my own eyes. I saw him become unified champion. You know, because I actually watch boxing.

I don't bet on fights and I didn't make a prediction before the fight. All I did was point out how ridiculous it was to call a former unified champion with 10 other world champions on his resume "unknown" as you did.

He wasn't "unknown" to people who actually watch these weight divisions. Everyone who watches minimumweight through super flyweight regularly knew exactly who Francisco Rodriguez was. Don't project your own ignorance onto the rest of us.

[thack]

Losses like that can end a fighters career we have to wait and see but it was a mauling ..