Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr – Live Results from the bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham

Live from the bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham, Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr headlines a Matchroom Boxing card. These two fighters collide in a WBC interim world flyweight title bout. We will bring you all the results and main action from every fight, including the main event, with the card being shown live on DAZN. The opening fight is expected to start at 16:35 p.m. BST on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel.

Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr: All Results on June 21

Up next was the main event as Galal Yafai (9-0, 7 KOs) faced Francisco Rodriguez Jr (39-6-1, 27 KOs) with the WBC interim flyweight world title up for grabs.

It was a fascinating opening round, with Rodriguez smothering Yafai, mixing his shots well and hurting him on more than one occasion. It was a big opening round for the Mexican fighter. Over the next couple of rounds, Yafai picked his shots better, but Rodriguez looked like the much heavier puncher.

Yafai had his best moment in the fourth, landing a clean left cross. A bad cut near Yafai’s left eye appeared to – understandably bother him. Rodriguez also appeared to be cut in the fifth round, in what was a much better round for the Brit, who began to vary the angles of his attacks. Since the terrible opening round, the Birmingham fighter has been competitive, but the more eye-catching punches are coming from the Mexican.

Rodriguez upped the pressure in the seventh, landing a flurry of heavy shots, which saw him fall to the canvas – correctly ruled not a knockdown by the referee. Despite the heavy pressure, Yafai fired back, picking his punches well and fighting through the storm.

Rodriguez had a big end to the ninth round, landing a series of punches that surely left Yafai further behind on the scorecards. Although his power had seemed to wane earlier, the Mexican found a second wind as the fight edged towards its conclusion.

Around the halfway point, it felt like Yafai was in the fight, but the work rate and power of the Mexican saw him slowly take over the fight. The Brit looked exhausted in the final round and was knocked down. He continued to apply pressure and pepper Yafai, who honestly deserves huge credit for even making the final bell. The judges’ scorecards read 119-108 x2 and 118-109 crowning Rodriguez the new WBC interim flyweight champion, putting him in pole position for a world title shot against Kenshiro Teraji.

Conah Walker vs Liam Taylor

In the co-main event of Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr, the British welterweight title was on the line, with Conah Walker (16-3-1, 7 KOs) making the first defence of his belt against Liam Taylor (28-3-1, 14 KOs).

A promising opening round from Taylor was marred by Walker landing a big left hook near the bell. Over the next couple of rounds, Taylor picked his shots well off the back foot, but Walker was relentless, coming forward. Walker again landed a big right hand at the end of the third.

Taylor continued to throw more punches and landed some good shots in the following rounds, but the more accurate work and sustained pressure was still coming from Walker. Eventually, that pressure broke down a brave Taylor. Walker landed a peach of a left hook that sent the challenger to the canvas, unable to beat the count. Walker retained his title in style.

Peter McGrail vs Ionut Baluta

Next up was the return of Peter McGrail (12-1, 6 KOs), who faced Ionut Baluta (17-6-1, 3 KOs) in the super bantamweight division for the WBA international title. It was a blistering opening round from McGrail, who landed several eye-catching shots on his opponent, who struggled to deal with the hand speed and footwork of the Liverpudlian.

Baluta had his moments in the next few rounds, but McGrail’s movement continued to cause the Romanian problems. By the midway point, Baluta was still pressing forward, but the foot feints and lateral movement from McGrail had him in control.

McGrail continued to box well in the later rounds, moving impressively and landing the cleaner shots. Despite Baluta celebrating after the final bell, the judges’ scorecards had the right man winning: 97-93 x2 and a baffling 95-95. It was a brave performance from Baluta, but he was often a step behind Peter McGrail.

Pat Brown vs Ivan Duka

After Ayton’s explosive debut, it was time for the cruiserweights, with the heavy-handed Pat Brown (2-0, 2 KO) facing Ivan Duka (5-6, 3 KOs). Brown showed good variation early on and worked well off his jab, quickly marking up Duka’s face.

In the second round, Brown landed a big body shot, which he followed up with a big left uppercut that prompted the referee to wave the fight off as Duka tried to scramble to his feet. An impressive second-round TKO win.

Tiah Mai Ayton vs Sara Orszagi

In the opening fight on the main DAZN card, it was time for amateur sensation Tiah Mai Ayton (1-0, 1 KO) to make her professional debut against Sara Orszagi (2-8, 0 KOs) in the super-bantamweight division. It was a great debut for Ayton, who showed good accuracy and power in her punches. The Bristol fighter couldn’t miss with the right hand.

In the third round, Ayton landed a big right hand, knocking her opponent down. The end was nigh, and Ayton quickly landed another big right hand, knocking the brave Orszagi down, with the referee stepping in to wave the fight off. Yes, there were levels between the Brit and Orszagi, but that was a near-perfect debut.

Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr Before the Bell: Aaron Bowen vs Mykola Vovk

In the final fight of the Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr undercard, Aaron Bowen (6-0, 4 KOs) went up against Mykola Vovk (15-8, 9 KOs) in the middleweight division. Bowen dominated from the first bell and mixed his shots impressively. Bowen quickly caused visible damage to Vovk’s face and was landing almost at will with very little coming back.

Vovk’s corner had seen enough and threw the towel in during the fourth round. That was a good win for the Coventry native, who continues the unbeaten start to his professional career.

Giorgio Visioli vs Elias Federico Duguet

The super featherweights were up again, with the highly rated Giorgio Visioli (8-0, 6 KOs) facing Elias Federico Duguet (7-2-1, 2 KOs). Visioli was on top for much of the contest, working the head and body of his opponent. Duguet showed experience, using foot feints to keep Visioli guessing throughout.

Visioli boxed with poise and began to go through the gears in the final two rounds. During the final round, he landed a beautifully timed left hook, which scored a knockdown. Duguet did well to make it to the final bell. It was an impressive performance from the 22-year-old, who won 80-71.

Ibraheem Sulaimaan vs Brian Phillips

Next up was the super featherweight division, with Ibraheem Sulaimaan (8-0, 4 KOs) facing Brian Phillips (12-5, 3 KOs). Phillips tried to meet Sulaimaan and exchange with him but was soon on the back foot. Sulaimaan landed some big body shots and eye-catching hooks, with Phillips showing his bravery throughout.

The Liverpudlian did well to survive to the final bell, having taken some heavy shots. Sulaimaan was impressive, with his accuracy and variation standing out. The referees’ scorecard read 80-72 for Ibraheem “Spider” Sulaimaan.

Hamza Uddin vs Leandro Jose Blanc

In the opening fight on the Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr undercard, Hamza Uddin (5-0, 2 KOs) faced Leandro Jose Blanc (8-3, 3 KOs) in the flyweight division. Blanc had fleeting moments in the first few rounds, but Uddin was well on top. Uddin looked in control when he worked behind his jab and showcased his fast hands in rounds five and six.

Uddin hurt Blanc in round seven and put his shots together impressively as he increased the tempo and forced the stoppage.