Latest news with #Rodriguez
France 24
10 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Rodriguez stops Cafu in super flyweight unification fight
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. "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."
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 318 results: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Kevin Holland goes totally off the rails
It was a fight UFC matchmakers had tried to make multiple times prior and when it finally came to fruition, it proved worth the wait. Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland came to blows Saturday at UFC 318 and those in attendance at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans were treated to an all-time-wild brawl. When the dust settled, Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was named winner by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). As the fight progressed, the craziness increased. Rodriguez had a strong first round, but peaked in Round 2 when he froze and dropped Holland (28-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) with a combination. Holland somehow survived and scored a beautifully-timed takedown midway through the round. In Round 3, Holland stunned Rodriguez multiple times. Uppercuts were his biggest weapons, which totally flashed Rodriguez twice. Although the referee he was close to intervening, he did not. Rodriguez was allowed to fight on and for good reason. He scored a takedown on Holland and entered mount. Rodriguez, 38, has won three fights in a row. He entered UFC 318 off back-to-back wins over Alex Morono and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Holland, 32, has been the UFC's most active fighters in 2025. However, he may need a little time off due to the laceration he suffered near his right eye. Holland has a two-fight winning streak snapped and moves to 2-2 in the calendar year. Up-to-the-minute UFC 318 results include:
TimesLIVE
11 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
'The Truth' hurts as 'Bam' Rodriguez stops brave Cafu in unification bout
A brave Phumelela Cafu gave it his all, but he failed to handle the experience, pressure and power of Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, losing their unification title bout on a 10th round stoppage in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday night. 'The Truth' Cafu ceded the WBO junior-bantamweight crown he had won in his last outing to the 25-year-old WBC champion, widely rated as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world who had seen far more action at this level. Rodriguez had already won a unification title at flyweight. Cafu, suffering the first defeat of his career, dropped to 11 wins, one loss and three draws while Rodriguez improved to 22-0 with 15 stoppages. Rodriguez was the busier of the two boxers, fighting with relentless energy and unleashing punches in endless combinations as he controlled large swathes of the fight. Cafu, by comparison, fought in spurts, winning skirmishes and owning moments. He was unable to match his opponent blow for blow, sometimes relying too heavily on single punches, although he found his target time and again, marking his opponent. The statistics showed that Rodriguez threw 610 punches and landed 218 of them, compared to Cafu's 468 thrown and 144 landed. The South African spent the entire time fighting off the ropes, trying to counter the pressure-fighter, a southpaw with a vicious left hand. The furthest Cafu ventured towards the centre of the ring was for the final instructions just before the start of the contest. After that he slid his way along the ropes. On the one occasion that he turned Rodriguez in the corner in the seventh round, Cafu simply retreated to the ropes again, absorbing more punishment than he dished out. He landed some good shots to the head and the body, occasionally forcing Rodriguez to take a step back, but he never looked in control of the fight. The sixth round was probably Cafu's best, but in the corner after the ninth, trainer Colin Nathan threatened to end it if the boxer didn't do more. In the 10th Rodriguez rocked Cafu with a right hand, but he was unable to drop his wounded opponent as they got tied up in a messy clinch, with both going down. The referee was prepared to let it continue but Nathan had seen enough, throwing in the towel to give his charge a reprieve from further punishment and allowing him to fight another day. Rodriguez afterwards rated the bout as his toughest to date. 'All credit goes to Cafu, he's a tough opponent. He was a lot tougher than I thought he was going to be, but we got the job done.'
Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez vs Phumelele Cafu: Live Stream Boxing, PPV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Rising star Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez is set for one of the biggest nights of his career as he takes on Phumelela Cafu in a super flyweight unification bout on Saturday, July 19, at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The action will stream live on DAZN, with coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET. Juan Francisco Estrada (L) of Mexico and Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez (R) of the United States fight during their WBC world and Ring Magazine super flyweight title bout at Footprint Center on June 29, 2024 in... Juan Francisco Estrada (L) of Mexico and Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez (R) of the United States fight during their WBC world and Ring Magazine super flyweight title bout at Footprint Center on June 29, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. More Photo byHow to Watch Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez vs Phumelele Cafu Date: Saturday, July 19, 2025 Start Time: 7:00 PM ET Ringwalks (approx): 10:41 PM ET Channel: DAZN Exclusive Stream: (LIVE on DAZN) This fight represents a major step in what could be a career-defining year for Rodriguez, as he looks to unify the WBC and WBO super flyweight titles. With a bout against WBA champion Fernando Daniel Martinez already confirmed for November, Rodriguez must first take care of business against a dangerous and determined Cafu. A win on Saturday night not only unifies two of the four major belts in the 115-pound division but also sets the winner on a direct path toward undisputed championship status by the end of the year. Rodriguez enters the bout riding a wave of momentum, widely regarded as one of the most exciting and technically sound fighters in the sport today. With titles already on his resume and an unbeaten record, "Bam" has rapidly emerged as a top name in boxing's smaller weight classes. Cafu, on the other hand, will be entering the ring with plenty of confidence and hunger, knowing that an upset win could change his life and put him at the center of the super flyweight spotlight. You can catch all the action from Frisco, Texas, on Saturday night on DAZN. Live stream Jesse 'BAM' Rodriguez vs Phumelele on DAZN: Start your subscription now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lawson, Rodriguez earn Cape Cod League All-Star nods
The Florida Gators always seem to have at least one player break out over the summer in the Cape Cod League. This year is no exception. In fact, they doubled their pleasure this time around. Last year, it was Jake Clemente who earned the All-Star nod and started the spring as a member of the weekend rotation. This year, infielder Brendan Lawson and right-hander Christian Rodriguez are participating in the event on Jul 19 at 4:05 p.m. ET at Red Wilson Field in Yarmouth, Mass. Lawson will also compete in the home run derby at 2:30 p.m. ahead of the All-Star Game. INF Brendan Lawson Lawson put together an All-SEC Freshman Team spring, slashing .317/.417/.522 with 71 hits and 10 home runs. He also showed a mature eye at the plate, walking in 12.2% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 20.7%. With numbers like that, Lawson came into the summer with one of the highest ceilings in the league. He joined the Brewster Whitecaps midway through the season and "continues to barrel the ball consistently," according to Joe Healy of D1Baseball. Lawson is slashing .344/.475/.719 with three home runs over 10 games. He's walked as much as he's struck out, with seven each, and the Whitecaps are using him at third base most of the time, which could signal a position change for the former shortstop. Florida needs help on the left side of the infield after losing Bobby Boser and Colby Shelton to the draft. RHP Christian Rodriguez Rodriguez was solid with a 5.32 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 22 appearances as a redshirt freshman in the spring. His fastball is still ramping up from Tommy John surgery that kept him out all of the 2024 campaign, but the "Bugs Bunny changeup" with a 15-mph difference in velocity still baffles hitters. His slider is also working better, coming in the 76-79 mph range as well. Rodriguez has a 1.35 ERA with 0.90 WHIP and 13 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings for the Harwich Mariners this summer. He's only walked four batters and routinely gets out of innings with 15 or fewer pitches. Healy described Rodriguez as "utterly dominant this summer," and he looks like a strong option to replace his former high school teammate, Clemente, in the closer role. Other Gators on the Cape Billy Barlow, Blake Cyr and Matthew Jenkins are with Lawson on the Whitecaps. Barlow has made three starts for Brewster, compiling a 2.70 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 13 1/3 innings. He's struck out 16 and walked just two, although Barlow has hit three batters. Cyr is slashing .308/.357/.487 with a home run. He still needs to tone down the aggression at the plate, striking out 11 times to just two walks over about 40 plate appearances. Jenkins is struggling, giving up 11 earned runs over four appearances (two total innings). The command isn't there with four walks and two strikeouts. Ashton Wilson is with the Falmouth Commodores, hitting .206 with 16 strikeouts through 10 games. Luke McNeillie has a 5.68 ERA through 12 2/3 innings with Harwich. His 14 strikeouts are good, but his eight walks are not. Jacksonville center field transfer Jaden Bastian is hitting .100 through 30 at-bats for the Orleans Firebirds, but his elite eye is showing with nearly as many walks (9) as strikeouts (10). Caden McDonald, Landon Stripling and Hayden Yost all play for the Wareham Gateman. McDonald is thriving in a two-way role, slashing .333/.464/.533 with three homers at the plate and maintaining a 4.32 ERA as a hybrid starter-reliever on the mound. McDonald could be considered an All-Star snub given his numbers. He's thrown 16 2/3 innings and is north of 50 plate appearances on the summer, so there's consistency to consider here, too. Stripling is playing a lot of third base for Wareham, but his bat is struggling with just five hits through 35 at-bats. Yost isn't getting a ton of hits either, but he's playing the most of any Gator mentioned so far with 61 at-bats over 23 games. His .197 average is on the wrong side of the Mendoza line, and his strikeout (21) and walk (7) numbers aren't anything special. Still, he's outperforming Bastian, which could end up as a position battle through fall. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
