Olympic Gold Medalist Galal Yafai Suffers First Professional Defeat
British flyweight Galal Yafai’s world title aspirations took a significant hit following a shocking points loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr. in Birmingham. The defeat marked Yafai’s first professional loss.
Fighting in his hometown, the 32-year-old Olympic champion faced relentless pressure and a high punch volume from the Mexican opponent, struggling to counter the aggressive pace.
While Yafai demonstrated resilience and moments of success, he was repeatedly hurt, particularly in the seventh and ninth rounds, ultimately hitting the canvas in the twelfth. Despite beating the count, he remained on the defensive until the final bell. The judges’ scores of 119-108, 119-108, and 118-109 reflected the fight’s outcome.
This loss marks Yafai’s first defeat in 10 professional fights, resulting in the forfeiture of his WBC interim title. His previously anticipated rapid ascent to a world title now faces a significant setback.
Yafai’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, commented, “[Rodriguez] was relentless tonight. Yafai couldn’t have got into a worse start but I’m so proud of him.”
Rodriguez Jr., a former unified strawweight world champion, secured his 40th victory in 47 fights.
Rodriguez’s aggressive start immediately impacted Yafai, a sharp left uppercut buckling his legs. Yafai struggled to recover from this early onslaught as Rodriguez continued to land punches.
Yafai mounted a rally in the fourth round, connecting with a clean backhand, but a cut above his left eye hampered his efforts. Rodriguez also sustained a cut later in the fight.
Throughout the fight, Yafai appeared outmatched, his body language failing to inspire the home crowd. The constant need to address the eye injury further hindered his ability to match Rodriguez’s pace.
A knockdown in the seventh, ruled a slip, was preceded by a significant flurry of punches from Rodriguez. Despite the ruling, the damage had already been inflicted. In the eighth, a straight right and uppercut further tested Yafai’s resilience.
Both fighters underwent medical checks before the ninth round due to their cuts, yet Rodriguez’s dominance continued, landing punches that stained the referee’s shirt with blood.
By the championship rounds, Yafai appeared resigned to defeat. A combination in the twelfth round sent him to the canvas. He rose with a weary smile, exiting the ring without a post-fight interview.
A potential world title shot against Japan’s unified champion, Kenshiro Teraji, now seems distant, pausing Yafai’s pursuit of both Olympic and world championship glory.
Hearn added, “He failed on the hurdle to elite level and that’s sometimes what happens. He’d only had nine fights.”
Elsewhere on the card, Tiah Mai Ayton, dubbed “the next Katie Taylor,” made a stunning professional debut, stopping Sara Orszagi in a dominant performance. Pat Brown secured his second professional victory via a brutal stoppage, and other bouts saw wins for Peter McGrail and Conah Walker.
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