Jesse “BAM” Rodriguez, the WBO champ with an unbeaten record (19-0, 12 KOs), turned Sunny Edwards’ night into a nightmare under the bright lights of Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Rodriguez, just 23, unleashed a thunderous left in the ninth that sent Edwards packing to the mat, face-first, as if he’d just discovered gravity. Edwards barely scraped himself up at the count of eight, looking like he’d just been in a dance with a freight train. Lucky for him, the bell rang, probably the sweetest sound he’d heard all night.
Back in the corner, Edwards’ crew gave him the once-over and decided they’d seen enough. Technically, the fight stopped a tick into the tenth, but Edwards was already playing statue in his corner when the ref called it a day.
Rodriguez, the younger and beefier of the two, had Edwards on the ropes the whole time. The rounds might’ve been tight, but Rodriguez was in the driver’s seat, pounding Sunny with a jab that felt like a sledgehammer and body shots that could’ve sunk a ship.
By round two, Sunny’s left eye was puffing up like a balloon, and he tried to switch stances, but Rodriguez was on him like aa bull.
Come the sixth, Rodriguez lands a right that had Sunny kissing the ropes. Bam, then, in a show of pure showmanship, unleashed a storm of headshots, nearly giving the ref a reason to jump in. And just for kicks, Bam sticks out his tongue, taunting Sunny, who, in a burst of fury, lands a few good ones on Rodriguez.
The seventh saw Bam turn up the heat even more, opening a second souvenir under Sunny’s already battered eye. The ref peered in, considering whether it was time to call in the doc.
Eighth round, and it’s all Bam, doling out punishment left and right. Sunny’s still in there, throwing some pretty shots, but he’s looking more like a punching bag than a fighter. Rodriguez was just too much – too big, too strong, too young. Sunny, at 27, just couldn’t keep up with the relentless assault.
All results:
Jesse Rodriguez (c) def. Sunny Edwards via TKO 10
Murodjon Akhmadaliev def. Kevin Gonzalez via TKO 8 (2:49)
Galal Yafai def. Rocco Santomauro via UD 10 (99-91, 98-93, 97-93)
Ja’Rico O’Quinn def. Peter McGrail via KO 5 (2:19)
Arturo Popoca def. Carlos Mujica via TKO 4 (1:24)
Junaid Bostan def. Gordie Russ II via UD 8 (79-73, 79-73, 79-73)
Joe McGrail def. Edgar Ortiz Jr. via TKO 2 (2:40); Featherweights
Alberto Gonzalez def. Alexis Eduardo Molina via KO 2 (2:24)