Tag: fly

Jesse Rodriguez KOs Juan Estrada to win WBC super fly belt

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Jesse Rodriguez of the United States reacts after knocking out Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico in the seventh round of their WBC world and Ring Magazine super flyweight title bout at Footprint Center on June 29, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. Kelsey Grant/Getty Images/AFP

Unbeaten American Jesse Rodriguez knocked out Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada at the end of the seventh round on Saturday to take the World Boxing Council super flyweight title.

The 24-year-old US southpaw Rodriguez, knocked down by Estrada for the first time in round six, answered late in the seventh with a devastating left to the body that crumpled Estrada and left him writhing on the canvas before referee Chris Flores counted him out.

“I got him with a good body shot,” Rodriguez said. “I saw the way he was rolling on the floor. I knew that was it.”

READ: Juan Estrada eyes title unification vs Jerwin Ancajas

Rodriguez improved to 20-0 with his 13th knockout victory while Estrada, 34, fell to 44-4 with the loss at Phoenix, Arizona.

“I’ve not felt a punch like that since my amateur days,” Estrada said through a translator of the knockout blow.

Rodriguez, a former flyweight and super flyweight champion, gave up his title at 112 pounds to move up to the 115-pound division and challenge Estrada.

“It was a tough fight,” Rodriguez said. “I got dropped for the first time. That was crazy. I just got caught with a punch and the next thing you know I was on the floor.

“I know it was bad, but I’ve always pictured myself in a fight like this and in the ring with a legend and to take his best, it makes it that much more better.”

Estrada entered on an eight-fight win streak, his most recent bout coming in December 2022 when he won the superfly crown with a majority decision over Nicaragua’s Roman Gonzalez.

The dethroned champion called for a rematch, which is in his contract.

READ: Juan Estrada edges ‘Chocolatito’ in their third title fight

“I know the mistake I made in there and I want the rematch. What I need to do in the next fight is box a little bit more,” Estrada said.

“He’s a great fighter. I didn’t underestimate him. I made some errors in this fight and I want to put them right in the second one.

“There’s no doubt we’ll win that rematch.”

Rodriguez caught Estrada with a hard right to the jaw in the first round and countered the champion’s body punches in the second to set the early pace.

Rodriguez stunned Estrada in the third round with a right hook to the jaw and in the fourth round knocked the champion to the canvas with a left uppercut followed by a straight left hand.

“He didn’t really know what to do when I was on the outside. I just stuck to the game plan and it worked out,” Rodriguez said.

‘Now I know’

A punishing left uppercut by Rodriguez staggered Estrada with a minute remaining in the fifth but the Mexican stayed on his feet to the end of the round despite a flurry of punches by the challenger.

Estrada answered with a hard right hand to the chest of Rodriguez in the early seconds of round six that planted the American on his rear as the crowd roared.

“I got a little careless. That’s why I got dropped,” Rodriguez said. “I always wondered what it felt like. Now I know. I don’t want it to happen again.”

Rodriguez would like to unify the 115-pound titles.



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“Definitely. It’s something I’ve seen other fighters do and just to see them with all the belts, it’s motivating,” he said.

“It’s on to bigger things from here… I am taking over this division.”

Gilas loses Scottie to old injury, will fly with only 11 men to Latvia

On: By: admin


An old problem reared its ugly head once again as Gilas Pilipinas on Friday officially lost Barangay Ginebra star Scottie Thompson to a recurring back injury with the Nationals having less than two weeks left before departing for a mammoth task of trying to make the Paris Olympics through the Riga, Latvia qualifiers.

“Scottie is out because of an injury,” team manager Richard del Rosario told the Inquirer just as the Nationals opened camp at Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna.

Thompson, according to Del Rosario, has been grounded by a slipped disc—the same back injury that hobbled him at times in his collegiate career and again kept him from playing three games early into the Gin Kings’ bid in the recently concluded Philippine Cup.

The tireless playmaker is the latest mainstay to be ruled out for the July 2-8 tournament that will complete the competing nations in the Summer Olympic Games in the glitzy fashion capital next month.

Thompson becomes the third man to be scratched from the team after two-way forward Jamie Malonzo and big man AJ Edu, who was a revelation in the Fiba World Cup the country hosted last year.

Latvia first

Team Philippines first clashes with host Latvia, ranked sixth in the World, and then Georgia.

Coach Tim Cone has already rued missing the 6-foot-11 Edu, whom he feels could be vital in battling Latvia’s big men. Now, he will be dealing with the loss of a do-it-all playmaker familiar with his system and its tendencies, and an integral cog in the long-haul cast geared toward returning to the Olympics either through the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) this year or the World Cup set in Qatar three years from now.

The Nationals kicked off their closed-door training camp with original, handpicked talents present. Japeth Aguilar and Ateneo center Mason Amos, tapped as reserves back in April, were again joined by practice players Ralph Cu and Donald Gumaru—both Cone guys at Ginebra.

The Philippines won’t be the only side dealing with a manpower crisis as Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis is expected to opt out of the OQT, as he is set to undergo surgery for a leg injury that kept him from playing three games of the NBA Finals his Boston Celtics won over Dallas.

Arturs Zagars, a crowd darling during the last World Cup, is also still coping with a knee problem sustained while serving his mother club BC Wolves in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LBL).

“Obviously, I’m still working towards that,” he said of a possible OQT stint in an interview published on the LBL website.



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As things stand, Gilas will be having just 11 players for the OQTs that will be cohosted by Spain, Greece and Puerto Rico. And whatever problems related to such a short roster should be visible even to casual fans when the Nationals host the Taiwan Mustangs this Monday at PhilSports Arena in one of its many friendlies leading up to the Riga showcase.

Gilas played with an undermanned roster during the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers when many-time World Cup June Mar Fajardo and Edu were sidelined with varying injuries.