Rising knockout sensation Edgar Puerta steamrolls over Abraham Rodriguez

On a Saturday void of televised bouts in the United States, Mexico's Televisa Deportes aired Edgar Puerta's WBC Silver super featherweight title defense against Abraham Rodriguez. Going in Puerta was riding a 9 fight win streak, 8 of which came by stoppage. He picked up the vacant WBC silver title last August against Carlos Cardenas. And just as Puerta stopped Cardenas in 8 rounds, he did the same to Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a former Mexican super featherweight champion, has now lost 4 of his last 5. After having over 40 bouts that would normally suggest he's on the decline, but he's also only 27 years old.

In any event, through 7 rounds it appeared to be anyone's fight. Both fighters threw and landed regularly. Most of the fighting was in close, just where the shorter Rodriguez wanted to be. However, while Puerta's head became an easy target as he lingered on the inside, he was also given ample opportunities to dig the body with heavy hooks. By the 8th round the body shots had slowed Rodriguez down and opened him up enough for Puerta to follow up with uppercuts, hooks, and straights to the head that sent Rodriguez back to the ropes. Once Puerta was sure that Rodriguez was spent, he flurried until the ref stepped in to stop the fight. It was a quick stoppage, but a good one. Rodriguez did not protest.

With the victory Puerta's record improves to 22-4-1 (according to Televisa) and he'll likely advance in the WBC ratings. Prior to this January 5 bout Puerta was rated 6 by the WBC behind Sergio Thompson (1), Diego Magdaleno (2), Devis Boschiero (3), Sipho Taliwe (4), and Takahiro Ao (5). Bad Left Hook currently rates Thompson, Boschiero and just dropped Ao in the most recent ratings update due to the emergence of Yuriorkis Gamboa. Those fighters are proven entities, while Taliwe and Puerta are just starting to make a name for themselves. Perhaps if Puerta and Taliwe could venture outside of Mexico and South Africa respectively, it would be a step in the right direction.

Note: Edgar Puerta fought outside of Mexico once in his career, a 2008 majority decision loss to Jaider Parra (who is still unbeaten at the start of 2013).

Undercard:

Irma Garcia UD10 Janeth Perez (96-94, 96-94, 97-93)

In a fairly surprising upset, Irma Garcia, with no prior world level experience (officially), took the WBA female bantamweight title from Janeth Perez. Perez was disappointed with the decision but didn't appear outraged that she came up short in the 4th defense of her world title, although she was clearly upset (she cried). TyC thought Perez dominated the bout, but quite frankly they were delusional. Garcia boxed beautifully from range and countered the aggressive Garcia coming in all night. The fight was still close and debatable based on Perez landing the hardest punches and bloodying Garcia's nose, but if anyone won by a wide margin it was Garcia.

While none of Garcia's previous official bouts came against formidable foes, she did however face the current IBF female bantamweight champion Yazmin Rivas on a reality TV show back in 2011. Their 6 rounder ended in a draw.

Ganigan Lopez TKO3 Josue Vega

Jorge Eduardo Canales TKO2 Rene Jimenez

Reyes Sanchez RTD5/TKO6 Ramiro Alcaraz

Isabel Millan D6 Estrella Valverde

Samuel Gonzalez TKO3 Giovanni de Jesus

Edson Ramirez SD4 Carlos Javier Aguilar

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Ryan Bivins is a staff writer for BadLeftHook. You can contact him on twitter (@sweetboxing) or through email (rgbivins@gmail.com).