Jesse Rodriguez Stops Sunny Edwards To Become The Unified Flyweight Champion
Jesse Rodriguez knocked out Sunny Edwards to unify the IBF and WBO flyweight titles.
The WBO champion Rodriguez arrived into the fight as the favourite, but there were question marks over how he would deal with the IBF champion Edwards’ defensive style. Rodriguez’s jab hindered Edwards’ movement, which allowed Bam to use his left hand down the pipe. The left hand also set up shots to the body, which Edwards complained were low blows. The Brit responded strongly with his own jab and left hook to get around Rodriguez’s guard in a competitive opener.
Rodriguez Vs. Edwards
But by the second round, Edwards already had swelling underneath his left eye. Rodriguez’s straight right was the cause of the damage, as Bam beat the Brit to the punch with his jab. Since Edwards’ jab was a key weapon coming into the fight, Bam’s ability to out-jab meant the writing was on the wall. Sunny turned southpaw in round three to prevent any damage to that eye as he connected with a right and a straight left on Bam’s jaw. The Brit had his best round in the fourth. Edwards’ lateral movement caught Bam off guard as he landed a straight left from the southpaw stance.
Rodriguez changed tactics as his corner demanded that he counter Edwards when he threw. Rodriguez responded to the advice by putting the Brit on the ropes in the sixth. Edwards had blood under his left eye and near the right eye as the referee and ringside doctor checked it before allowing him to continue.
Rodriguez Drops Edwards
Rodriguez seized that moment by letting his hands go. He connected with a right to the body, followed by a brutal left hand to send Edwards to the canvas in round nine. Edwards reached the end of the round, but his corner informed the referee that he could not continue.
The win boosts Rodriguez’s claim as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. Meanwhile, Edwards must return to the drawing board following his first career defeat.
Post-Fight Comments
“Excuse my language, but [becoming unified champ is] f—— bad a**. I worked my a** off for this. I knew it was gonna come, it was just a matter of time. He was a lot quicker than I thought, he was a lot smarter than I thought, but you saw what happened. Sunny was moving a lot in the beginning, but I made him fight and he got caught. I was confident the whole fight and I felt him slowing down in rounds three and four. Sunny’s a hell of a fighter, but maybe he’s not used to being hit that much. I brought something tonight that he couldn’t handle,” Rodriguez said
Full Results
Jesse Rodriguez beat Sunny Edwards via a tenth-round TKO.
Murodjon Akhmadaliev beat Kevin Gonzalez via an eight-round TKO
Galal Yafai beat Rocco Santomauro via a unanimous decision: 99-91, 98-93, 97-93
Ja’Rico O’Quinn beat Peter McGrail via a fifth-round KO
Arturo Popoca beat Carlos Mujica via a fourth-round TKO
Junaid Bostan beat Gordie Russ II via a unanimous decision: 79-73, 79-73, 79-73
Joe McGrail beat Edgar Ortiz Jr. via a second-round TKO
Alberto Gonzalez beat Alexis Eduardo Molina via second-round KO
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