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Update 12:35 a.m. Jesse Rodriguez defeats Cristian Gonzalez by unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 116-112)
The vacant WBO flyweight title is on the line as Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs) and Cristian “El Chicarito” Gonzalez (15-1, 5 KOs) are scheduled for 12 rounds this Saturday, April 8 at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The fight will be the main event of a main card slated to start at 9 p.m. ET. It will be streamed on DAZN as ring walks for Rodriguez-Gonzalez are set for 11 p.m. ET, depending on the length of the earlier fights.
Rodriguez is savvy southpaw who has an unblemished record and for good reason. He previously held the WBC flyweight championship back in 2022 but vacated the belt after two successful defenses, deciding to go back down and compete at 112 pounds. “Bam” demonstrates a fluid fighting style, as all of his wins have come by way of knockout or unanimous decision.
Gonzalez is an experienced fighter at 32-years-old, seemingly getting his signature title fight at one of the best stretches of his career. flyweight title that many would crave. He has been on a tear of late, winning his last five fights, including an impressive first round knockout of Juan Alejo Zuniga last March.
Rodriguez comes into the bout as the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. He is a -3000 favorite while Gonzalez is a +1100 underdog.
Update 11:43 p.m. The fighters are in the ring, and we’re about to be underway from San Antonio!
Jesse Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez round-by-round results
Round 1: Rodriguez 10-9
The hometown fighter was able to control the center of the ring with his jab, and didn’t really get tagged either. Easy round for the champion.
Round 2: Rodriguez 10-9
The big left hands from Bam are stinging Chicarito. The challenger is leaving his chin exposed, and is getting tagged to the body as well. An excellent round from the champ.
Round 3: Rodriguez 10-9
Much more activity from Gonzalez, who landed some good shots especially at distance. But the power from Rodriguez was far too much. A left hand stunned him in close, and as much as Gonzalez is trying to switch hands and use his height and reach, it’s not working so far.
Round 4: Rodriguez 10-9
More of the same so far, as Rodriguez is just swarming Gonzalez with power. Once he gets inside, he’s scoring basically every time.
Round 5: Rodriguez 10-9
No surprises here, as Gonzalez is spending the entire fight with his back to the ropes while the ring general Rodriguez moves him around from the inside. It’s not a close fight, and the only question is whether it will be stopped so far.
Round 6: Rodriguez 10-9
We’re just finding different ways to say the same thing here. Gonzalez has just landed 17% of his punches
Round 7: Rodriguez 10-9
A bit better from Gonzalez, but no real sustained offense whatsoever. He’s going to need to find a lucky punch to win this fight, otherwise he loses on the cards or on the canvas.
Round 8: Rodriguez 10-9
Both fighters are slowing down a bit, but only one is still scoring with any activity. Gonzalez is still on his bike on the outside, with Rodriguez going both high and low to score almost at will.
Round 9: Rodriguez 10-9
Somewhat closer from Gonzalez, who has more activity while Rodriguez slows down a bit. Not quite enough to take the round, but a chance the champion has punched himself out a bit here.
Round 10: Gonzalez 10-9
He’s not landing with much power, but he’s for sure scoring and he’s got a cleaner looking face than his opponent right now. Gonzalez does seem to have the better of the conditioning, and we’ll see if it makes a difference in the championship rounds.
Round 11: Gonzalez 10-9
Unless he gets knocked out, Rodriguez likely wins the fight. But he’s been slightly beaten the last two rounds by the jabs and activity of the challenger. The fight has turned late, but likely too late for Chicarito to find a win.
Round 12: Gonzalez 10-9
It was too little too late for Cristian, as Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez turtled enough and covered up in the late rounds to get to the final bell. Respect to Gonzalez for making a fight of his title opportunity, but the power and ring generalship of Rodriguez should be enough to win this fight. He went out and did enough early to win it late.