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Fuentes, Cayetano notch big wins on Saturday

Fighters Network
07
Dec
In recent years, junior flyweights Moises Fuentes and Francisco Rodriguez have demonstrated they are never in a bad fight.
Hardcore boxing fans anticipated a stellar fight between the two when the fight was announced a few months ago. The fight lived up to those expectations, as Fuentes did enough to grind out a win on Saturday.
Fuentes, the former WBO strawweight titlist, dug deep to win a 12-round, split decision over Rodriguez at the Gimnasio Municipal Gustavo Diaz Ordaz in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico.
With the win, Fuentes improves to 23-2-1 (12 knockouts), while Rodriguez, who weighed over a pound above the junior flyweight limit, drops to 17-4-1 (11 KOs).
Rodriguez, who was also a strawweight titleholder and is currently ranked No. 10 as a junior flyweight by THE RING magazine, scored repeatedly in the opening round. He would beat the taller Fuentes to the punch with lefts and rights to the head.
As the bout progressed during the early rounds, Fuentes began to utilize his reach by keeping Rodriguez at the end of his punches. Fuentes was able to score repeatedly with right uppercuts as both exchanged combinations on the inside.
Just when Fuentes seemed to get the upper hand, Rodriguez kept him honest by landing overhand right hands upstairs. There were times when Rodriguez was able to back Fuentes against the ropes, allowing him to score on the inside.
The action intensified into the middle rounds. The ebb and flow of the fight created excellent exchanges between the two fighters, prompting the crowd to applaud the action, especially when each would land a thudding blow.
Fuentes seemed to get take control of the fight during the its second half. By the 10th round, Rodriguez seemed to be more the worse for wear, slowing down considerably, which allowed Fuentes to get the better of the exchanges. Rodriguez attempted to mount an offense during the championship rounds but Fuentes continuously beat him to the punch, especially with right uppercuts to the head.
Judge Kermit Bayless scored the bout 116-112 in favor of Rodriguez, while Alejandro Lopez Cid and scored the bout 116-112 in favor of Fuentes. RingTV scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Fuentes.
Cayetano upsets Orucuta
In the opening bout of the beIN Sports en Espanol telecast, bantamweight Jose Cayetano scored a seventh round technical knockout win over Felipe Orucuta.
Cayetano goes to 18-4 (9 KOs), while Orucuta, a two-time junior bantamweight title challenger, dropped to 31-4 (25 KOs).
After a slow opening round, the taller Orucuta pressed the action but Cayetano countered effectively, particularly with overhand rights to the head. With less than a minute remaining in the second round, Cayetano hurt Orucuta with an overhand right but was unable to follow up.
Orucuta looked like he won the third round until Cayetano dropped him with a lead overhand right to the head right before the bell sounded to end the round. Orucuta did not look as though he was hurt and was able to walk back to his corner.
Orucuta continued to be the aggressor, attempting to walk Cayetano down. Cayetano, who lost a wide decision to Leo Santa Cruz in his last bout on May 2, easily countered Orucuta with left hooks and right hands. With about a minute remaining in the fourth round, Orucuta was hurt again, courtesy of another right hand.
Undaunted, Orucuta pressed the action. About a minute into the sixth round, another right to the head staggered Orucuta. While Orucuta stayed upright and finished the round, he received a lot of punishment, particularly to the head, where a deep bruise developed below his right eye.
Trainer Nacho Beristain, who was working Orucuta’s corner, told referee Fernando Renteria his fighter was not able to continue. The seventh round began and Renteria counted Orucuta out at 10 seconds.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.

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