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07/26/2008 Archived Entry: "Francisco Rodriguez Guts Out Win over Alejandro Becerra"

Francisco Rodriguez Guts Out Win over Alejandro Becerra

By Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Photos by Kristy Wawersik

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Francisco Rodriguez (left) attacks with a hard left to Alejandro Becerra's chin late in their fight at the Aragon Ballroom as referee Genaro Rodriguez looks on


CHICAGO, July 25, 2008—A bantamweight at 117 pounds, Chicago’s Francisco "El Nino Azteca" Rodriguez proved to the cheering throng at the Aragon Ballroom that he has a heavyweight-sized heart. Bleeding from a cut over his left eye, he overcame exhaustion, superior experience and a punishing surge over the last two rounds by El Paso, Texas’ Alejandro Becerra to win a gutsy unanimous decision over 10 rounds.

It had been a little over five months since he was stopped by Andre Wilson (9-1, 8 KO’s) in the second round—a bout he was winning until he got careless and walked into a right hand. He’d tightened up his defense and won his next bout against ruggedly experienced Angel Priolo (30-6, 20 KO’s), stopping him in three rounds in May. However, as the reader shall see, Rodriguez was still vulnerable to the right hand.

It’s the first round and Rodriguez (117 lbs., 12-2, 8 KO’s) starts out cautiously against Becerra (119 lbs., 19-6, 9 KO’s), jabbing and circling. As they engage in the first round, Becerra catches him with a pair of uppercuts in close. They trade hooks in close—Rodriguez to the side and Becerra to the jaw. Rodriguez is pressing the action. A straight left nails Becerra. Becerra catches Rodriguez with a right to the head in an exchange at rounds end.

Using deft footwork, Rodriguez digs left and right hooks to Becerra’s sides and darts out in the second. Trading in close, Rodriguez is caught with an uppercut to the chin; Becerra catches him again with another right. Blood streams down the left side of Rodriguez’s face from a cut over his left eye. They swap blows. The crowd roars with approval.

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Rodriguez nails Becerra with a wicked left to the cheek

Backed to the ropes, Rodriguez knocks Becerra back several steps with a crashing left. Reengaging, Becerra pops his head up with a right uppercut and moments later presses him to the ropes. Furious slugging ensues. Catching a right or two, Rodriguez knocks Becerra across the ring with a hard straight left to the chin at rounds end.

Rodriguez is caught with a left hook to the jaw in the third, but fires back and steps to the left. Rodriguez nails Becerra with a left-right combo and is on the attack ripping hooks to the body. Right back at you, Becerra seems to say as he digs a right to the side followed by a right to the head.

A chant of “Nino, Nino, Nino!” erupts from the crowd.

A right hook jars Becerra. They trade hooks to the body. Another right hook to the head jars Becerra.

In the fourth, Rodriguez steps up his attack, punching in bunches, then stepping out. As they trade blows, his brother and trainer shouts, “Don’t stand in front of him, Shorty!” Rodriguez batters Becerra on the ropes.

“Give yourself some room, and then bring it up,” shouts his brother.

Rodriguez knocks Becerra to the ropes with a straight left and, works him over in a corner. He lands a trio of right hooks and sends spray from Becerra’s head with a left.

“Keep your hands up, Shorty…in and out, in and out,” Rodriguez’s brother admonishes in the fifth round. Following instructions, Rodriguez rallies with short bursts and darts out. Rinse and repeat. Becerra, for his part, is trying to catch him coming in with the right. He’s pawing at his bleeding eye, which is leaking a significant amount of claret down the left side of his face.

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Rodriguez (left) blocks a shot while firing one of his own

The partisan crowd, which loves Rodriguez, cheers their hero and the action.

It’s now the seventh and Rodriguez is popping the jab and circling while Becerra is firing rights and lefts as he comes in. Becerra pressures and digs a right hook to the hip, a blow that makes moving around more painful. He catches Rodriguez with a couple rights, rips the belly with both fists and presses forward. He staggers Rodriguez to the ropes with a right to the head. Trapped, Rodriguez fights his way free and bangs hard to the body.

Suddenly, Becerra wobbles on unsteady legs. Rodriguez pounces. Ripping the body, Rodriguez gets caught with a right to the jaw! He resumes his attack.

Still the busier fighter in the eighth, Rodriguez is pumping the jab and, switching to right handed; stance, lands the straight right. Becerra attacks, landing the right to the head and a hook to the hip. They’re trading in close.

Rodriguez’s nailed with a looping right on the ropes, but he escapes. The busier of the two, he’s visibly tiring. Becerra amps up the pressure and Rodriguez circles.

Backing Rodriguez to the ropes in the ninth, Becerra rips a straight right to the belly. Rodriguez is clearly exhausted; his jabs aren’t as snappy and his footwork is listless. Becerra bounces a right uppercut off his chin. Becerra bounces another right off his chin as they stand in close. He rips a left hook off his side.

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Battered and bleeding, Rodriguez ducks under a left hook as Becerra comes on strong

Turning right handed, Rodriguez eats a pair of jabs and is caught by a potent left right to the jaw. Becerra is in control.

It’s now the tenth and final round. Becerra chases a gassed Rodriguez and trapping him on the ropes, unloads. Rodriguez escapes and circles. He peppers with rights and lefts, but winces when their heads collide. The fresher of the two, Becerra bounces a right and left off the side of Rodriguez’ head. Summoning reserves, Rodriguez pumps the jab and fires straight lefts. He’s working over and under, but fades as Becerra storms forward. A huge right sends spray flying from Rodriguez’s head. He escapes and, trapped on the ropes, clutches. Moments later, the bell rings and they embrace.

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Becerra (left) punishes Rodriguez

Judges score the bout 98-92, 96-94 and 96-94 for Francisco Rodriguez.

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Lopez (left) cringes as Nevitt presses his attack on the ropes

In his first bout back since suffering a loss to Otis Grant in April 2007, Chicago’s Mike Nevitt (176 lbs., 14-1, 5 KO’s) worked some kinks out in dispatching rugged but limited Othello, Washington’s Luis Lopez (173 lbs., 14-14-1, 6 KO’s) in six rounds.

As is his wont, in the first, Nevitt boxes carefully and outworks the slower and stockier Lopez. “Walk around, walk around, walk around,” barks his trainer, Freddie Cuevas, who doesn't want his charge taking unnecessary chances by standing in front of Lopez.

Nevitt nails Lopez with snappy rights to the head, one noticeably jarring him. Mixing it up, they snap each others’ heads back.

Nevitt continues to batter in the second, nailing Lopez with a straight right to the head moments into the round. A vicious uppercut snaps Lopez’ head back. Diving in, Lopez digs to the body with both fists. Lopez mauls in close, but eats some serious leather. Notably, Lopez rips the body with lefts and rights toward rounds end to slow his antagonist, but goes down from what appears to be a left, but referee John O’Brien rules it a slip.

Although outworked and out-landed, Lopez finds his range in the third, landing a potent right left to the head and another straight left. Nevitt isn't so elusive now.

Just as it appears that Nevitt is tiring from using Lopez's head for a punching bag and is caught with jarring straight lefts to the head, he storms back. It's back and forth slugging with Nevitt maintaining the superior work and land rate in the fourth round.

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Referee John O'Brien oversees the touching of gloves between Nevitt (left) and Lopez before the final round begins

Midway through round five, a straight right wobbles Lopez. The moment passes and Lopez makes a fight out of it as Nevitt searches for the coupe de gras.

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Referee O'Brien rushes to intervene as Lopez turns his back on Nevitt following damage from a straight right

A pair of rights to the head jar Lopez in the sixth round. Pouncing, a straight right to the head dumps a dazed Lopez into the ropes. Bleeding from a cut over his left eye, Lopez leans back on the ropes, his open left glove extended. Referee John O’Brien jumps in and halts the bout at 45 seconds into round six. Lopez seems relieved with the reprieve, and in a true sporting moment, raises Nevitt’s left glove for him.

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An exuberant Nevitt raises his arms in victory as Sam Colonna celebrates behind him

“It felt good to be back in there after about a year and a half," says a smiling Nevitt afterwards.

“He caught me on the ropes and it was like, ‘Oh sh—!’” said Lopez. “The ref jumped in and waved it off. What can you do?”

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Barbaro Zepeda (left) and Ivan Rodriguez trade blows in a furious exchange typifying their bout

In a raucously cheered war, Waukegan, Illinois’ Ivan Rodriguez (123.5 lbs., 8-4-1, 3 KO’s) found the going very tough against Chicago’s Barbaro Zepeda (125.5 lbs., 8-19-2, 2 KO’s) and managed to eke out a victory in controversial fashion.

There was a cluster of Rodriguez fans led by his vociferous wife, some who held up signs reading, “Lake County Ivan” and “We Love You Ivan” and cheered their hero, while many others cheered Zepeda—who’s gained local favor with his never-say-die battles in Chicago. Clearly both warriors, Rodriguez and Zepeda roiled up nationalistic passions in the Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry by the fact that Rodriguez is of Puerto Rican descent, while Zepeda originally hails from Mexico.

It didn’t take long for a payoff. Physically the bigger of the two, a ripped Zepeda out-boxed and knocked Rodriguez into the ropes with a hard right to the head. There was a clash of heads moments before, which may have softened Rodriguez for the blow. Zepeda was warned for hitting the back of the head. The two exchanged furious blows until the bell.

In the second, Rodriguez landed a hard right to the jaw that had Zepeda hanging on at the ropes. Zepeda jumped in, both fists pumping. He slipped to the ground as they clashed, but rose to slug bang away with Rodriguez in close.

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Zepeda (right) attacks Rodriguez in a corner

The two traded looping blows until a left to the jaw forced Zepeda to hold in the third. Back and forth they went! Rodriguez battered Zepeda on the ropes with lefts and rights. Moments later, Zepeda buckled Rodriguez’s legs with a hook. The crowd exploded with roars. Rodriguez dove back in flailing with both fists. Moments of reprieve followed by bursts of two-fisted violence. The crowd continued to cheer after the bell.

A hook high above the ear in the fourth round seemed to trouble Rodriguez, who wore a pained expression on his face and kept clasping the back of his head. A left hook to the jaw suddenly dumped Rodriguez on his trunks. He received an eight count.

Reengaging, the two clubbed each other at close quarters with both fists. Following a brief respite, the two engaged. Again clutching the right backside of his head, Rodriguez turned to referee John O’Brien and complained as Zepeda looked on. O’Brien told him to fight on.

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Zepeda continued to batter in the fifth round, but unfortunately hurt Rodriguez twice with low blows, penalizing him two points. This would cost him the fight.

Resuming, Rodriguez lit into him with both fists, only to be battered and pursued all over the ring by a charging Zepeda.

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Rodriguez (right) makes a stand as Zepeda comes on strong

In the sixth and final round as the two exchanged in close, Zepeda rattled Rodriguez with a pair of hooks to the head. Walking in, Zepeda caught some potent rights and lefts to the face. Yet, still he pursued. Up on his toes, Rodriguez circled. Diving back in, he pressured Zepeda to the ropes, only to be repelled as the two traded chest to chest in the final moments.

Judges scored the bout 57-54 for Rodriguez, 56-55 for Zepeda, and 56-55 for Rodriguez, which garnered Rodriguez a split decision victory.

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Federico Flores, Jr. (left) ducks under Guadalupe's left hook

There’s a saying that styles make fights, and the one between Hart, Michigan’s Federico Flores, Jr. (146 lbs., 5-2, 5 KO’s) and Michoacan, Mexico’s Guadalupe Diaz (145 lbs., 4-3-1, 1 KO) proved to be a frustrating and sloppy affair.

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Flores (left) returns the favor

There was a lot of cuffing, smothering of punches, and grabbing throughout, with Diaz dominating the first two perhaps and Flores edging in the third and fourth. It appeared to me that Flores was apprehensive of Diaz's power in the early going, but grew confident as the bout progressed and let his hands go more.

Judges scored the bout 38-38, and 39-37 twice for Guadalupe Diaz.

When all was said and done, though, the fighters by and large showed heavyweight-sized hearts.

Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions promoted this evening’s fights.

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Photographer Kristy Wawersik smiles for the camera before the show begins

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