Washington (AFP) – American Jesse Rodriguez stopped South Africa’s Phumelele Cafu in the 10th round on Saturday to win a world super flyweight title unification showdown of unbeatens at Frisco, Texas. Rodriguez landed a hard right hook and followed with an unchallenged series of punches that forced referee Hector Afu to stop the bout after two minutes and seven seconds of the 10th round.
“All I remember is I caught him with a right hook. That’s about it,” said Rodriguez. “I felt like it was a good performance, my best performance up to today now. It was my toughest opponent, my toughest fight.” Rodriquez kept his WBC crown and took Cafu’s WBO title, improving to 22-0 with his 15th victory inside the distance. Cafu fell to 11-1 with three drawn, his seven-fight win streak snapped in his US debut.
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“All credit to Cafu. He’s a tough opponent. He was a lot tougher than I thought he would be but we got the job done no matter what,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t hurt but I could feel he had pop. He had better pop than I expected. I knew he had power but not like that. And he can take a shot.” That forced a strategy change in the 115-pound (52.2kg) division matchup of stellar southpaws.
“I had to stop throwing every shot hard,” Rodriguez said. “I was trying maybe a little too hard to get him out of there, but once I felt he could take my best shot and keep going, that’s when I had to slow my pace down, set him up with a few shots here and there like I did to get him out of there.”
Rodriguez, 25, and Cafu, 26, were cautious in the early rounds, the American trying to press the attack but wary of the African’s counter punches, each fighter respectful of the dangers his rival offered. A right uppercut by Rodriguez set up a combination in the fourth round but Cafu began working to the body, striking with his own combination late in round five and a solid left hook late in round six.
Rodriguez landed a hard combination of five punches starting with a left hook in the final minute of the ninth round and won it with his flurry late in round 10, forcing Cafu’s corner to wave the towel. Rodriguez plans to fight the division’s other unbeaten champion, WBA title-holder Fernando Martinez of Argentina, on November 22. He had a cut on a left knuckle but said he was fine.
“It’s just a little, I don’t know what you call it, but I’ll be good,” Rodriguez said. “I want to be undisputed, especially the way I did it against Cafu, a world champion and I got him out before the 12th round. It just shows I’m here to stay.”
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