Latest news with #FranciscoRodriguez
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Briton Yafai stunned by Rodriguez in first pro loss
Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai loses for the first time as a professional [Getty Images] Galal Yafai's world title ambitions suffered a major setback as the British flyweight was dropped in the final round in a shock points loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr in Birmingham. Fighting in his home city, the 32-year-old Olympic gold medallist was rocked early and struggled to handle the relentless pressure and punch volume from the Mexican in a high-tempo contest. Advertisement Yafai had moments of success and showed resilience, but was repeatedly hurt, notably in the seventh and ninth, before hitting the canvas in the twelfth. Although he beat the count, he was clinging on until the end and there was no dispute over the result with scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109. Yafai is defeated for the first time in 10 professional bouts and loses his WBC interim title. Once tipped for a rapid ascent to full world honours, the Tokyo 2020 champion now faces a significant rebuilding job. "[Rodriguez] was relentless tonight. Yafai couldn't have got into a worse start but I'm so proud of him," Yafai's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said. Fast start from Rodriguez sets the tone Rodriguez Jr is a former unified strawweight world champion and wins his 40th bout in 47 fights [Getty Images] Rodriguez burst out of the blocks, rattling the champion early and buckling Yafai's legs with a sharp left uppercut. Yafai struggled to fully recover as Rodriguez's quick hands continued to find the mark through the early stages. Advertisement Yafai rallied in the fourth, landing clean with his backhand, but was hampered by blood pouring from a cut above his left eye. Rodriguez also suffered a cut later in the fight. The Birmingham fighter – who cruised past Sunny Edwards in November – looked second-best throughout, his body language offering little encouragement to the home crowd. He frequently dabbed at the eye and found it difficult to match Rodriguez's pace. Rodriguez had his fired-up corner roaring in the seventh when Yafai was floored, although it was ruled a slip. The damage, however, had already been done earlier in the round, with the 31-year-old away fighter landing a flurry of punches. A crisp straight right and uppercut connected in the eighth, with Yafai showing heart and toughness to stay in the fight. Both men were inspected by doctors before the ninth due to cuts, but it was Rodriguez who continued to dominate, hurting Yafai again as blood stained the referee's shirt. Advertisement By the championship rounds, Yafai looked increasingly resigned to his fate. A clean left-right combination dropped him in the 12th. He rose with a wry, deflated smile before moments later leaving the ring without giving a post-fight interview. A world title shot against Japan's unified champion Kenshiro Teraji had seemed within touching distance but instead Yafai's dream of becoming an Olympic and world champion is paused for now. "He failed on the hurdle to elite level and that's sometimes what happens. He'd only had nine fights," Hearn added. 'The new Katie Taylor' stars on debut Tiah Mai Ayton competed in kickboxing and Muay Thai before transitioning to boxing [Getty Images] Earlier, Britain's Tiah Mai Ayton announced herself to the professional ranks in style by stopping Hungary's Sara Orszagi in a ferocious debut. Advertisement Dubbed "the next Katie Taylor" by Hearn, the 18-year-old super-bantamweight rocked Orszagi with crisp right hands from the opening bell. She dropped her in the third, then ended it seconds later with a clean shot. As the referee waved the fight off, a smiling Ayton strutted back to her corner, poking her tongue out to her team. "Eddie's been bigging me up, so I had to show what I'm about," said Bristol's Ayton, a flawless 21-0 as an amateur. A beaming Hearn added: "She's born for this. She's built for this. She's a special talent." On a strong night for Matchroom's prospects, Manchester's 2024 Olympian Pat Brown secured his second professional win with a brutal second-round stoppage of Croatia's Ivan Duka. Advertisement A sharp right hook to the body, followed by a thudding left hook and a crisp left uppercut brought an early end to Duka's night. Brown, 25, will be back in the ring in just two weeks' time on 5 July in Manchester. Also on the card, super-bantamweight Peter McGrail earned a hard-fought majority decision over Romania's Ionut Baluta, and British welterweight champion Conah Walker retained his belt with a seventh-round stoppage win over Liam Taylor. More boxing from the BBC
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Briton Yafai stunned by Rodriguez in first pro loss
Galal Yafai's world title ambitions suffered a major setback as the British flyweight was dropped in the final round in a shock points loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr in in his home city, the 32-year-old Olympic gold medallist was rocked early and struggled to handle the relentless pressure and punch volume from the Mexican in a high-tempo had moments of success and showed resilience, but was repeatedly hurt, notably in the seventh and ninth, before hitting the canvas in the he beat the count, he was clinging on until the end and there was no dispute over the result with scores of 119-108, 119-108 and is defeated for the first time in 10 professional bouts and loses his WBC interim title. Once tipped for a rapid ascent to full world honours, the Tokyo 2020 champion now faces a significant rebuilding job."[Rodriguez] was relentless tonight. Yafai couldn't have got into a worse start but I'm so proud of him," Yafai's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said. Fast start from Rodriguez sets the tone Rodriguez burst out of the blocks, rattling the champion early and buckling Yafai's legs with a sharp left uppercut. Yafai struggled to fully recover as Rodriguez's quick hands continued to find the mark through the early rallied in the fourth, landing clean with his backhand, but was hampered by blood pouring from a cut above his left eye. Rodriguez also suffered a cut later in the Birmingham fighter – who cruised past Sunny Edwards in November – looked second-best throughout, his body language offering little encouragement to the home crowd. He frequently dabbed at the eye and found it difficult to match Rodriguez's had his fired-up corner roaring in the seventh when Yafai was floored, although it was ruled a slip. The damage, however, had already been done earlier in the round, with the 31-year-old away fighter landing a flurry of punches. A crisp straight right and uppercut connected in the eighth, with Yafai showing heart and toughness to stay in the fight. Both men were inspected by doctors before the ninth due to cuts, but it was Rodriguez who continued to dominate, hurting Yafai again as blood stained the referee's the championship rounds, Yafai looked increasingly resigned to his fate. A clean left-right combination dropped him in the 12th. He rose with a wry, deflated smile before moments later leaving the ring without giving a post-fight interview.A world title shot against Japan's unified champion Kenshiro Teraji had seemed within touching distance but instead Yafai's dream of becoming an Olympic and world champion is paused for now."He failed on the hurdle to elite level and that's sometimes what happens. He'd only had nine fights," Hearn added. 'The new Katie Taylor' stars on debut Earlier, Britain's Tiah Mai Ayton announced herself to the professional ranks in style by stopping Hungary's Sara Orszagi in a ferocious "the next Katie Taylor" by Hearn, the 18-year-old super-bantamweight rocked Orszagi with crisp right hands from the opening dropped her in the third, then ended it seconds later with a clean shot. As the referee waved the fight off, a smiling Ayton strutted back to her corner, poking her tongue out to her team."Eddie's been bigging me up, so I had to show what I'm about," said Bristol's Ayton, a flawless 21-0 as an amateur.A beaming Hearn added: "She's born for this. She's built for this. She's a special talent."On a strong night for Matchroom's prospects, Manchester's 2024 Olympian Pat Brown secured his second professional win with a brutal second-round stoppage of Croatia's Ivan Duka. A sharp right hook to the body, followed by a thudding left hook and a crisp left uppercut brought an early end to Duka's 25, will be back in the ring in just two weeks' time on 5 July in on the card, super-bantamweight Peter McGrail earned a hard-fought majority decision over Romania's Ionut Baluta, and British welterweight champion Conah Walker retained his belt with a seventh-round stoppage win over Liam Taylor.
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Team boxing? Philadelphia Smoke fighting to give the sport a makeover
A new sports league in Philadelphia is fighting to give boxing a makeover. Instead of two fighters going 12 rounds, this league is doubling the number of rounds, but there's a catch: it's a team style. Team Combat League is professional boxing, with a twist. It's the nation's first-ever team boxing league. "That's something I've been wanting since I was a kid because high school has football, soccer, basketball teams, but we don't have that for boxing," Francisco Rodriguez, a lightweight boxer, said. "So, this is new and I'm excited and blessed to be in this opportunity. I'm going to train hard and win these fights." How Team Combat League boxing works There are 12 teams in 12 cities across the country, including the Philadelphia Smoke. League matches feature 24 three-minute rounds where the boxers are switched out after every round. One round, and you're done. "It's one round of non-stop action. It's exciting," Smoke head coach Bobby Kane said. "When you're in there, you're not going to sit down in your seat the whole entire time. It's action-packed, non-stop. It's best fighter vs best fighter. A lot of people are used to taking their time and studying a fighter in the beginning for rounds, but the fighters that come to TCL say this one is harder than doing that." "It's back to wall, time to go" Ray Robinson, a super middleweight boxer for the Smoke, says team boxing is more of a "crowd-pleaser to me." "I think the crowd wins here because you get to see so many different styles in one night," Robinson said. "There's no warm-up round or 'let me see how his style is.' It's back to wall, time to go." Fighters hearing their teammates cheer them on in the ring brings a camaraderie that boxing has never had. "In a traditional fight, you hear three people in your corner, but here you hear the whole team," Rodriguez said. "You hear everyone give their thoughts, motivating you when you feel like you're getting tired. They push you even more." "Not just an all-men sport" Nine of the 12 weight classes are for men, and the last three are for women, making this a co-ed league. "We're bringing female boxing up, and it's not just an all-men sport, boxing," Smoke lightweight boxer Shera Mae Patricio said. "So, we're exposing females out there saying, 'We can actually do the same thing as a man in the sport.'" The Philadelphia Smoke won the championship last year during their first year in the league. They're hoping to repeat this season.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New L.A. community college Chancellor Alberto J. Román pledges 'culture of accountability'
Alberto J. Román, the interim chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District who assumed the post amid the system's yearslong reckoning with legal troubles, was appointed to the permanent role Wednesday by the district's Board of Trustees. Román, who pledged a "culture of accountability," had been named interim chancellor after Francisco C. Rodriguez abruptly resigned last year, shocking critics and champions alike. During Rodriguez's decade at the helm, the nine-college district faced lawsuits alleging gender discrimination, sexual harassment and whistleblower retaliation, among other claims. He and the trustees endured a vote of no confidence from the district's Academic Senate in 2024 that centered on what it described as a failure to sufficiently address sexual harassment and discrimination claims, among other concerns. Read more: L.A. community college district chancellor to step down amid faculty tensions, lawsuits Román, 47, who has worked for the nation's largest two-year college system in various roles spanning more than 11 years, was given a roughly three-year contract, which takes effect immediately and pays $440,000 annually. A former president of East L.A. College, he also previously served as the vice chancellor of human resources for the community college district. "We pride ourselves on being leaders and identifying and combating any type of discrimination," Román said in an interview with The Times. "I've also emphasized the importance of transparency, of trust building, both internally and with the broader public." A Mexican immigrant who came to the U.S. as a child, Román oversaw the creation of East L.A. College's pioneering Central American studies program, which launched in 2023. It has been billed as the first such endeavor in California at the community college level and affords students the chance to earn an associate degree in the field. "It was truly, for me, a very important program to have here in Los Angeles," said Román, who has worked in education for more than two decades. He said a trip to El Salvador with faculty had inspired him to create the program. "I really grew an interest in learning more about our Central American community here." Just a year ago, Román had praised Rodriguez in an open letter for his "transformative decade of service, leadership, and vision." But the end of the former chancellor's tenure had been rocky. Read more: Six years, a trial, and a firing. But no end to a professor's sexual harassment fight In August, Rodriguez said that he would step down to help care for his ailing father. The move was a major surprise, in part because the district had given him a four-year contract extension a year earlier. Rodriguez departed Nov. 2, with Román subsequently assuming the interim position. Rodriguez did not respond to interview requests. Among the lawsuits Rodriguez and the district have faced is an ongoing one filed by former general counsel Maribel Medina over allegations of sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation and other claims. She alleged in a 2024 L.A. Superior Court suit brought against Rodriguez, the district and a trustee that she was placed on leave — and then fired — after complaining to the then-chancellor about disparities in her salary, and bringing to his attention the "evident lack of compliance at the District with sexual harassment training." Medina, who is Mexican American, also alleged in the complaint that Rodriguez once said in her presence, "Mexican women serve me and they like it." The defendants have denied the allegations, according to court filings. Their attorneys did not respond to interview requests. Medina's attorney declined to comment. A trial in the case is set for January. Asked about some of the controversies that the former chancellor weathered, Román said that in a system as large as the college district — it has a workforce of nearly 10,000 people — "issues will invariably arise," and that he could not discuss ongoing litigation. He also stressed that the district was "actively working" to make sure policies related to professional conduct are updated. He added employees would be trained on an ongoing basis so they understand the revised codes and guidelines. Another area of scrutiny has been the district's multibillion-dollar construction bond program. Since the early 2010s, it has been dogged by allegations that it was poorly managed, wasted money and was subject to nepotism. Román insisted that the program has been overhauled, touting "more rigorous accountability measures," and improved "vendor selection processes," while noting the hiring this year of an independent, third-party bond monitor, Affiliated Monitors. "The issues that were identified about 10 years ago have been resolved," he said. "I think a program of this size will undoubtedly have flare-ups, but we have managed those." Román faces other challenges, among them the ongoing recovery from a massive drop in enrollment tirggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The district said it had about 210,000 students for the 2019-2020 school year — but enrollment plunged to 158,000 for the 2021-2022 year. It picked up from there and stood at 194,000 students in 2023-2024. He touted the upward trend and said the district, as a whole, hadn't seen a decline in enrollment over the last four years. He attributed the success, in part, to an emphasis on career technical education, which he said could be helpful as the region prepares to host both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. Then, there's President Trump. His executive orders on higher education, the launching of investigations into antisemitism on university campuses and the deportation of college students have roiled academia at large. So far, Román said, the president's various actions have not directly affected the college district. He said that, to his knowledge, no students in the district have been deported and none of its funding has been eliminated — though a roughly $500,000 arts-related grant has been "placed on hold." "We will continue to monitor our funding and do everything we can to protect it," he said. "We will continue to monitor policies that could impact our students. We stand firm with them." Román also said that no programs had been altered to comply with Trump's directives aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses. "Our programs ... [are] inclusive of all students," he said. "That's in essence how we are able to continue the work that we need to do." In a statement, Gabriel Buelna, a member of the Board of Trustees, noted that Román was taking over "at a time of intense national pressure." He said the chancellor had "exceptional credentials, proven talent, and the vision and integrity needed to lead LACCD through challenging times and strengthen our region." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
