Great, all action battle. Rodriguez came with an undeniable engine. Nothing fancy but you can't measure a man's will, heart, and determination. He fought with purpose from round 1. Hats off to Rodriguez.
As for Yafai, he's a 32 yr old 2x Olympian and gold medalist that just beat a former world titleholder. This elimination bout was the logical next step before a world title shot. The lack of head movement is most concerning. At the highest level, you can't take 2-3 flush head shots consistently. Also, you shouldn't stand and trade if you get hurt early. He failed to adjust and seemed to want to out fight the rugged Mexican. That's either poor game planning or questionable boxing IQ.
Yafai showed immense bravery but there were moments in round 10 where I thought the ref could've waved it off. He took a lot of damage and you hope he's able to work on his mistakes and improve but, at 32, this might be his ceiling.
Thanks for the comment as always. I think it is his ceiling. Heart and bravery kept him in it but it was a huge effort to last the distance.
People keep saying it was bad matchmaking, but getting to world level and staying there is supposed to be tough. To be the best and beat the best, you get past guys like Rodriguez, simple. There's no shame in falling short. Winning world titles takes more than a semi-retired Sunny Edwards rocking up for a payday. That's the way I see it.
Great, all action battle. Rodriguez came with an undeniable engine. Nothing fancy but you can't measure a man's will, heart, and determination. He fought with purpose from round 1. Hats off to Rodriguez.
As for Yafai, he's a 32 yr old 2x Olympian and gold medalist that just beat a former world titleholder. This elimination bout was the logical next step before a world title shot. The lack of head movement is most concerning. At the highest level, you can't take 2-3 flush head shots consistently. Also, you shouldn't stand and trade if you get hurt early. He failed to adjust and seemed to want to out fight the rugged Mexican. That's either poor game planning or questionable boxing IQ.
Yafai showed immense bravery but there were moments in round 10 where I thought the ref could've waved it off. He took a lot of damage and you hope he's able to work on his mistakes and improve but, at 32, this might be his ceiling.
Thanks for the comment as always. I think it is his ceiling. Heart and bravery kept him in it but it was a huge effort to last the distance.
People keep saying it was bad matchmaking, but getting to world level and staying there is supposed to be tough. To be the best and beat the best, you get past guys like Rodriguez, simple. There's no shame in falling short. Winning world titles takes more than a semi-retired Sunny Edwards rocking up for a payday. That's the way I see it.