In a flyweight unification clash, WBO champion Jesse “BAM” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) stopped IBF champion Sunny Edwards (20-1, 4 KOs) in round nine on Saturday night at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. In a good fight, Rodriguez steadily broke down and busted up Edwards. BAM finally dropped Edwards at the end of round nine and the bout was stopped.
In a WBA super bantamweight eliminator, former unified champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KOs) dealt an eight round beating to previously unbeaten Kevin Gonzalez (26-1-1, 13 KOs). Akhmadaliev dropped Gonzalez twice in round six and two more times in round eight to end it. Time was 2:49. Gonzalez was game and tough, but Akhmadaliev was too much.
Olympic gold medalist and flyweight contender Galal Yafai (6-0, 4 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over rugged Rocco Santomauro (22-3, 6 KOs). Yafai was mostly in control, but Santomauro got some of his licks in also. Scores were 99-91, 98-93, 97-93.
Super bantamweight Ja’Rico O’Quinn (17-1-1, 9 KOs) scored a spectacular fifth round knockout over previously unbeaten Peter McGrail (8-1, 5 KOs). McGrail was dominating the fight until he was laid out by a counter right. Time was 2:19. O’Quinn claimed the WBA Continental belt.
Great Job, Ja’Rico O’Quinn.
A+.
A+ a bit inflated, he was getting beat all over the place, had a good Mike Weaver moment.
I met Ja’rico, he’s a super nice kid.
Glad to see him win this fight!
Most of these guys are absolute gentlemen. Guys who can really fight, are. The fake tough guys are the creeps. And that is because they are insecure.
Like Cheap Generic Shasta Green last night, Kevin Gonzalez proved he is not an elite fighter.
I knew murodjon was too strong for Gonzalez …ffffkkkk
Bam is really solid. Great fight. Edwards put him to the test.
Sunny is a triple tough kid but too hard to deter a guy like Bam when you have fly swatter fists
Yesssssss babyyyyyyy
I never expect a ko from bam bam
I thought Rodriguez by close decicion
Good job bam bam !!!!
All credit to Edwards for chasing the bigger fights and wanting to test himself. Great fight and Rodriguez showed solid hands. Need more fights like this.
I don’t think bam bam hits hard it was accumulation of punches , and most england fighters don’t have endurance
A seriously insulting comment.
Saying the truth is insulting ???
What do the stats say? Without appropriate analysis, your comment is both disgusting AND racist. Then again, maybe you are part of those groups that feel entitled to their racism (plus can in no way take it)!!!! Another word for this is ‘coward’.
Great fight sunny edwards show a lot of heart and fight and very respectful in defeat if bam goes 115 pounds hopefully he get another shot at the IBF flyweight title when vacanted.
What a great performance by Bam
And Sunny they both showed up and have is a hell of a fight
Sunny never has been beaten the way he was is telling of the type of power Bam carries
Agreed. Edwards wouldn’t have lost fighting that way against almost anyone else. He really fought well and hard, and it was Rodriguez who simply beat him down over time. Good fight; a very solid win for Rodriguez.
Not quite the same, but Rodriguez reminds me Salvador Sanchez. Kazuto Ioka, Juan Francisco Estrada and maybe Roman Gonzalez are the future great fights for him, but the real great challenge should be at bantamweight, Junto Nakatani
Like Rayo Valenzuela I don’t think he hits hard he is just fast
There many ko styles
Speed
Strength
Accumulation
Swing
Timing
Power
Speed : when the boxer is too fast and you don’t see the blow coming out , like Pacquiao
Strength : when the boxer is too strong to throw punches like mike Tyson
Accumulation : when the boxer throw lot of punches like bam bam Rodriguez or Juan baby bull Diaz
Swing : when you are not hard hitter but the swing with long arms helps you to hit hard like Deontay wilder
Timing : when you throw the punch on time like when koztya tzuyu ko Zab Judah
Power: when the boxer is natural born hard hitter like George Foreman who with a single-light and slow punch put out you to sleep
So… Edward’s received too many punches til got “”tko””
Looks like BAM’s beatdown has already taught Edwards some much-needed humility.
Bam is steadily solidifying himself as a pound for pound great!! Not only is he improving in all categories, but also getting stronger as he approaches his prime!!! WTH is in the water @RGBA!!!!! The amount of fighters which they have developed and the champions they have molded is nothing short of IMPRESSIVE!!
I didn’t think Edwards had a real chance of beating Bam Rodriguez. He didn’t punch hard enough and didn’t have the reach to hit Bam from a distance. He was quick enough to turn with Rodriguez and not allow him the angles that he normally gets with most fighters. But having a longer reach would have helped him in the fight.
In Bam’s last fight, Christian Gonzalez had good footwork and was turning with Bam whenever he tried to get angles to punch. The difference is that Christian was tall and long and was able to land from a distance when Bam thought he was out of punching range but really wasn’t.
I was a little concerned in watching the press conference when I noticed Bam talking like he still had problems with his jaw. He was talking like someone that was hesitant to open his mouth widely while talking and keeping his jaw muscles clenched. I suppose he got used to talking like that when he had to communicate with his jaw wired shut. However, he had no problems with the jaw during the fight.
Edwards was gritty and fought well, but he wore down and got battered in the last few rounds before the end. He just didn’t have the tools to prevail over Bam, who is a special fighter at 23 years old.
Juan Francisco Estrada is the next logical opponent for Bam. Estrada is experienced and quick but nearing the end of his career. I believe Bam will be too much for him but that’s why they make the fights. Great victory for Rodriguez. Next comes Estrada, hopefully.
Great fight night
Actually watching the replay sunny edward’s quit
Carlos. You talk really tough. Edwards fought like a man and had to check out to fight another day, perhaps even live another day. He’s a warrior. My advice to you sunshine is stop being an arm chair warrior.
Stick to your real sport Mens figure skating..
Well anyone can fight tough in the beginning but that’s not the problem
The problem is last til the end and Edward quit !!!so …where is the heart and toughness then ????
The reason I did pay attention the first time was because I was watching morel vs agbepko in live
For all the hating announcers who had to retract their wrongness on this Ja’Rico O’Quinn fight, they were so biased and it felt great seeing them eat all their words, fake MF’ers!
Good win for BAM. He looked sharp.