By: Sean Crose
The 19-1 Emmanuel Rodriguez took on the 23-0 Reymart Gaballo in a scheduled 12 rounder for the interim WBC Bantamweight Title at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. The fight was aired live by Showtime as the main event of a PBC card.
Both men fought at a moderate pace, but threw heavy leather in the first. The second round was close, though Rodriguez appeared to punch the more effectively of the two. Gaballo was deliberate and active in the third. Rodriguez fired cleanly and effectively in the fourth. He continued to show greater effectiveness than Gaballo in the fifth.
By the sixth, the fight was going along at a steady pace. Gaballo threw away while Rodriguez kept himself from being hurt. Gaballo continued to press forward in the seventh, while Rodriguez was able to appear in control. In the eighth Gaballo’s greater activity looked to tell the tale. Rodriguez punched cleanly in the ninth while Gaballo worked the body.
The tenth had a similar look to the previous nine rounds. Either one admired Gaballo’s aggression or preferred Rodriguez ‘cleaner punching. The eleventh followed the same pattern as earlier chapters, as did the twelfth. Gaballo ended walking out with a split decision win.