Misael Rodriguez TKO4 Austin Deanda... In the Zuffa Boxing co-feature from Las Vegas, 2016 Olympic medallist Misael Rodriguez used his extensive experience to outbox Austin DeAnda en route to a fourth-round TKO victory via doctor stoppage. Rodriguez controlled the real estate smartly as he took the center of the ring and forced DeAnda to circle the outer reaches of the canvas as the Mexican applied controlled, efficient pressure through the first couple of rounds. As the action continued, DeAnda attempted to assert himself with combinations, but Rodriguez’s superior footwork and shot selection saw him rack up the rounds as the Mexican took charge of the bout and never allowed “The Native Nightmare” a clear route into the contest. After four rounds that saw Rodriguez rack up a number of clean head shots on DeAnda, the doctor was called to DeAnda’s corner, with the fighter revealing that he was suffering from double vision. That left the medic with no option but to pull DeAnda from the fight, and handing Rodriguez a fourth-round victory via TKO. It extended “El Chino’s” perfect professional record to 16-0 (8 KOs), while DeAnda (17-1, 11 KOs) took his first loss as a pro.
Julian Rodriguez W10 Cain Sandoval... The welterweight clash between Julian Rodriguez and Cain Sandoval was expected to deliver fireworks, and the bout didn’t disappoint as the pair battled back and forth all the way to the final bell. “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez gave an early glimpse of his punch power as he worked off a heavy jab, and the 31-year old also connected with a big upper cut up close as he opened up the bout as the aggressor. The bout caught fire from the second round onward as Sandoval attempted to walk down Rodriguez and unload combinations, but Rodriguez consistently answered with some heavy shots in response as the contrasting styles of the two fighters combined to create a thrilling action fight. That pattern continued through the middle rounds, with Rodriguez landing the more effective work, despite constantly being forced back by the relentless Sandoval. One body shot from “Sugar” Cain crept through Rodriguez’s defenses to cause a few problems in the fourth round but overall, “Hammer Hands” showed excellent defensive skills up close to take most of Sandoval’s shots on his arms.
As the fight reached the halfway stage, Rodriguez started to show signs of fatigue as Sandoval’s constant pressure began to have an effect. But, just as Sandoval looked to be taking over in the sixth, Rodriguez answered a sustained period of pressure with a cracking two-punch combination to remind his opponent that he still has significant power at his disposal. The seventh round produced some breathless action as the pair engaged in a non-stop tear-up against the ropes, with Sandoval pushing Rodriguez back and throwing volume, while Rodriguez covered up, then exploded with powerful two-punch combinations. After the chaos of the seventh round, the pace understandably slowed a little in the closing rounds as the efforts from both men started to take their toll. But the pair continued to battle all the way to the scorecards.
The judges all valued Rodriguez’s heavier shots over Sandoval’s pressure and volume as the scored the fight to “Hammer Hands” by a significant margin, with the scores reading 99-91 (twice) and 98-92. With that win, Rodriguez improves to 25-1. while Sandoval (17-1) falls to the first defeat of his professional career.
Omar Trinidad TKO10 Max Ornelas... Undefeated featherweight Omar Trinidad started fast, then had his cardio tested by Max Ornelas as he claimed a 10th-round TKO finish after Ornelas sustained a dislocated shoulder. Hard-hitting knockout artist Trinidad scored three knockdowns in the first three rounds, but Ornelas showed plenty of grit and no little boxing skill as he battle his way back into the fight and dragged their ten-round featherweight bout all the way to the final round before succumbing to a shoulder injury. Things were going swimmingly for Trinidad early, as he made an early breakthrough early in the second round. A well-timed jab dropped Ornelas mid-way through the round as Trinidad scored the first knockdown of the night. But, after taking a short count, Ornelas recovered quickly, and continued trading shots for the rest of the round.
Trinidad continued to stalk Ornelas, throwing heavy shots, and he scored a second knockdown in the Round 3 with a grazing left hook. Then, in the closing seconds of the round, another left hand sent Ornelas to the canvas for the third time. A confident Trinidad grinned from his corner and exclaimed, “I’m living the dream, baby!” before coming out for round four in search of a finish. But Ornelas enjoyed his best round of the fight as he kept the undefeated knockout artist at bay with some solid shots of his own. That round gave Ornelas some much-needed confidence after the trio of early knockdowns, and the Las Vegas-based featherweight continued to box smartly as he frustrated a head-hunting Trinidad through the middle rounds. Then, with Ornelas working his way into the fight, disaster struck when he dislocated his shoulder at the end of the eighth round. The doctor was called to check on Ornelas, who had popped the shoulder back in, and declared himself good to continue. But with his right arm looking almost unusable, Trinidad closed in, looking to claim a late stoppage.
The fight looked very close to being stopped before the final round, but Ornelas’s corner told referee Thomas Taylor that their man was good to continue for the final three minutes. But, after Ornelas’s shoulder popped out once again during the opening exchange of the 10th round, the official immediately stepped in to wave off the fight.
It meant that Trinidad claimed the TKO victory, and the first finish in Zuffa Boxing, as he registered his 20th professional victory.
Floyd Diaz W8 Guillermo Gutierrez... via unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73, 79-73)
Bantamweight Floyd Diaz blew off the cobwebs as he returned from a career-long 483-day layoff and claimed a unanimous decision victory over Guillermo Gutierrez in their eight-round 118-pound contest.
Diaz was pushed hard by Gutierrez, who reacted well to Diaz’s change of fighting style to keep the fight competitive throughout. But, after eight rounds of keenly-contested action, it was Diaz who got the nod from the three ringside judges with scores of 79-73 across the board.
Zuffa Boxing Scorecard for Diaz vs Gutierrez
Both men got down to business immediately in a fast-paced first round, with Diaz having the better of the exchanges in the opening three minutes.
Gutierrez, who had returned from a lengthy year-long layoff himself and accepted the fight on three weeks’ notice, looked sharp and confident as he looked to trade with Diaz. But his willingness to stand and trade almost ended in disaster at the end of the second round when he was rocked by a big left hook from Diaz. Fortunately for the San Antonio native, the shot landed in the closing seconds of the round, leaving Diaz unable to take advantage.
Zuffa Boxing analyst and pound-for-pound great Andre Ward noted the change in Diaz’s fighting style, with the Las Vegas fighter adopting a much more aggressive, power-punching approach to his previous bouts. That approach gave Gutierrez the opportunity to step in and land combinations, and the Gilberto Garza-trained fighter enjoyed some success through the middle rounds through his work rate as he punched his way into range and connected with body and head. But as the fight entered the final two rounds, Diaz upped his output again and connected with big shots as the pair battled all the way to the final bell.
In the final reckoning, the judges rewarded Diaz’s more impactful work as he moved to 14-0 (3 KOs) and reignited his career after more than a year away. Gutierrez drops to 13-3 (1 KO).
