Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
On Friday, February 24, 2017, Saul Rodriguez (21-0-1, 15 KOs) scored a split decision victory against Oscar Bravo (22-7, 10 KOs) at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.
The 10-round Lightweight fight was the co-main event of a ShoBox triple-header in the U.S.
Rodriguez, 23, is a highly regarded Lightweight prospect, but the Riverside, California native did not live up to expectations as he struggled with Bravo, a man he should have beaten decisively.
The trouble began in Round 5 when a counter right hand wobbled and dropped Rodriguez. The shot, which can be seen in the video above, landed behind Rodriguez’s ear, a place that can cause one to immediately lose equilibrium.
After that, Rodriguez had a tough stop stopping the offense of the now emboldened Bravo, a 29-year-old native of Chile.
Two judges scored the fight for Rodriguez with scores of 95-94 and 97-92, while one judge scored the fight 94-95 for Bravo.
“I was pretty happy with my performance, but I know there are a few things I need to work on and really just stay focused,” Rodriguez said.
“When you’re fighting a wild opponent like Bravo, it gets tough, he head-butted me a few times which affected my visual, but I didn’t let his wild style interrupt my plan.
“I was definitely going for the KO throughout the night, but I was still boxing with him. I just gotta go back in the gym and continue developing as a fighter, I am just happy to bring the win home to my hometown and my home stable.”
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