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Unbeaten Reymart Gaballo Scores Controversial Split-Decision
Victory Over Emmanuel Rodriguez
Photos: Amanda Westcott - SHOWTIME
Undefeated bantamweight Reymart Gaballo scored a
controversial split-decision victory over former world
champion Emmanuel Rodriguez in the main event of
Saturday night’s SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION from
Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in an event
presented by Premier Boxing Champions. With the victory,
Gaballo picked up the vacant interim WBC Bantamweight
Title.
Saturday’s headliner in the last SHOWTIME BOXING event
of 2020 was competitive from the opening bell. In only
three of the twelve rounds were Rodriguez and Gaballo
separated by more than three landed punches. Overall,
Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs) threw 148 more punches than
Rodriguez (19-2, 12 KOs), but still managed to connect
on 16 fewer power punches. The punches of the
28-year-old Rodriguez seemed to be cleaner, as he
wobbled the Filipino Gaballo on more than one occasion.
However, two of the judges favored Gaballo’s aggression
over Rodriguez’s ring generalship.
SHOWTIME’s unofficial scorer Steve Farhood scored the
fight 118-110 in favor of Rodriguez and SHOWTIME analyst
and former world champion Raul Marquez was dismayed by
the judges’ decision.
“There’s no way Gaballo could have won that fight,” said
Marquez. “In the worst-case scenario, you could have
maybe given him three rounds. I gave him no rounds.”
“I am very happy and blessed to win this belt,” said the
24-year-old Gaballo. “I was always moving forward and
controlling the pace, so I thought it was a close fight
that either of us could have won.
“I’m waiting for my team to tell me what they have
planned for me next. I’m going to keep training hard so
I’m always ready for the opportunity when it comes.”
“It was a good fight, but he only won about two or three
rounds,” said Rodriguez. “There were two punches from me
for every punch he landed. He knows he lost. Everyone
knows we won. My team told me to go out and keep boxing
him in the late rounds. We knew he needed a knockout in
the twelfth round. That was his only chance to win.”
In the co-main event, Philadelphia’s undefeated
welterweight sensation Jaron Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) saw
his impressive 16-fight knockout streak come to a
disappointing end after an accidental headbutt in the
first round caused a brutal cut to the forehead of his
opponent, Chris van Heerden (28-2-1, 12 KOs).
With only two minutes and thirty-nine seconds inside the
ring to showcase his skills, Ennis was still able to
flash glimpses of his championship potential as he
landed 22 of 57 punches, 19 of them power shots as he
appeared destined to stop the South African van Heerden
and keep his KO streak alive before the clash of heads.
“Before the headbutt I had already cut him and I felt
strong,” said a disappointed Ennis. “I knew he was ready
to go. I feel like I’m getting better and better. Now
I’ll just get back in the gym. As you could see from the
first round, I was handling him easily. I feel like
everyone is still sleeping on me, but I’m ready for
anyone. Bring on the big names.”
In the telecast opener, bantamweight contender Gary
Antonio Russell (18-0, 12 KOs) kept his unblemished
record intact with a technical decision victory over
former world champion Juan Carlos Payano (21-5, 9 KOs).
After an accidental headbutt caused a bad cut to the
left brow of Payano, referee David Fields stopped the
fight after the sixth round at the advice of the
ringside physician. The fight went to the scorecards,
where Russell led on all three cards (58-56, 59-55,
59-55).
Before the injury, Russell and Payano were engaged in a
scrappy brawl that saw multiple exchanges of power
punches. In the closing seconds of the sixth, and
ultimately final round, Russell caught Payano with a
counter-shot that hurt Payano. Russell landed 86 of 243
punches while Payano landed just 58 of 268 punches.
Russell flashed excellent body work throughout the
fight, out landing Payano 40 to 17 on body shots.
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