Three talented Americans took the first three wins on the main Ring IV card with skill and determination in crowd-pleasing style in Saudi Arabia on Saturday in support of the Benavidez vs Yarde main event.
Bam Rodriguez Stops Puma Martinez With Ease
WBC/WBO Super Flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez of San Antonio, Texas (23-0, 16 KOs) added the WBA and Ring Magazine titles to his collection after his dominating performance ending in a knockout win against Fernando “Puma” Martinez of Argentina (18-1, 9 KOs) at 1:15 of round 10.
Rodriguez did what he’s done since his upset victory on short notice against Carlos Cuadras in 2022 for his first title at age 22. His superior skills, led by his nimble footwork, allow Rodriguez to deliver punches at angles, confounding his opponents and helping him evade their offense.
Rodriguez said he knew he had him after round one. “He’s a tough opponent. He’s a former world champion. He was a lot tougher than I expected. I gave him my hardest shots. Look at my hands,” he laughed.
Rodriguez missed the birth of his son, Milo, on Wednesday to take the unification fight. “I could cry right now, it’s hard for me, but it paid off. He’ll understand when he gets older. I did it for him and my daughter … I love my family a lot.”
Martinez Out of His League
Martinez is a fine competitor, but he was out of his league and had no more success than Cuadras, Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisikat Sor Runvisai, Sunny Edwards, or Phumelela Cafu.
Rodriguez popped Martinez to the nose with a left hook at the end of the second round. It appeared broken, and it bothered Rodriguez through the rest of the night.
Rodriguez turned the fight into a sparring session. He is mature and patient, and given how much Martinez trash-talked all week, Bam punished Martinez with body shots and uppercuts. At the end of the eighth round, Rodriguez held up his hands, taunting Martinez to come forward.
Trainer Robert Garcia doesn’t like Rodriguez playing with his opponents and often needs to push Rodriguez a bit to close the show. It’s a nice problem to have, as Martinez won every round. “Easy work, stay smart,” said Garcia after the round. “Everything off the jab. Don’t get too confident.”
Garcia didn’t need to worry. Rodriguez closed the show in the tenth round. Martinez caught Rodriguez with his best punch of the fight and started feeling himself. It was a fatal mistake. Rodriguez avoided a left hook and drilled Martinez with a left hook of his own, dropping him for the knockout win. Martinez had never been stopped and tried to get up. It wasn’t going to happen.
Is Kenshiro Teraji Unification Showdown Next?
Fans crave a dream fight between Rodriguez and unified bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue of Japan. It’s a big ask and two divisions beyond Rodriguez. When Bud Crawford did it and beat Canelo Alvarez, it only made this drumbeat stronger.
Rodriguez would be better served to completely unify the super flyweight division. Current IBF champion Willibaldo Garcia Perez of Mexico will defend against Kenshiro Teraji of Japan in Riyadh on December 27. Assuming the favored Teraji wins, an undisputed fight in Japan is the right choice for Rodriguez.
Mason and Noakes Go to Battle, Mason Wins the War
Abdullah Mason has officially retired his Prospect of the Year title. Mason of Cleveland (20-0, 17 KOs) fought a tough-as-nails Sam Noakes of England (17-1, 15 KOs) with determination, stamina, and his own toughness to win the vacant WBO World Lightweight title.
The exciting all-action fight went to Mason by decision after going the distance. Scores were 117-111, and 115-113 twice for Mason.
Fans enjoyed an exciting fight thanks to both men giving everything they had, not shying away from taking the fight to each other. It was in Noakes’ best interests to make the fight as rough as possible. Mason has the slicker skill and could have made it a little easier on himself, but he loves to mix it up and willingly engaged with Noakes.
Mason got hit more than he should have, but now Mason knows his chin will hold up with a puncher, as he learned surviving two knockdowns by Yohan Vazquez to knock him out a round later in a fight last November.
Noakes suffered a nasty cut under his left eye from a headbutt in a typical orthodox and southpaw fighter clash in the third round. It looked serious enough to end the fight, but to his credit, Noakes weathered it well.
Mason Seals Victory in Championship Rounds
In the later rounds in a give-and-take fight, Mason hurt Noakes with vicious left hooks and uppercuts. Noakes held and survived. After the 11th round, Mason’s corner said, “This is it! This is all this is everything! Everything you’ve been working for! All that hard stuff we’ve been doing!” Mason won the 12th round, and it gave him the decision.
Mielnicki Jr. Puts Himself In Line For Title Opportunity
On the ‘Before the Bell’ undercard, Vito Mielnicki Jr. of New Jersey (22-1, 12 KOs) delivered a performance that should put him in line for a WBO middleweight title fight. Mielnicki Jr. started slow and steady against Samuel Nmomah of Italy (21-2, 5 KOs), stepping up the work rate in later rounds and scoring a solid ninth-round TKO victory.
Mielnicki Jr. wore down Nnomah and got the knockdown from a hard straight right, followed by a left hook to the top of the head, sending Nnomah to the canvas with just seconds left in the ninth round. Credit to Nnomah for getting to his feet, but he was in bad shape. Mielnicki Jr. could have let Nnomah survive, but he moved in, drilling the Nigerian with combinations to force a referee stoppage.