Angelino Cordova suffers first defeat, falls to Francisco Rodriguez in WBC eliminator

Angelino Cordova’s bid for another world title opportunity came up short on Saturday night, as the Roselle Park-based flyweight dropped a unanimous decision to Francisco “Chihuas” Rodriguez Jr. in a WBC flyweight title eliminator at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego.

The judges scored the bout 115-112, 115-112 and 116-111 for Rodriguez, who now moves into position for a shot at unified WBC/WBA flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval.

The defeat was a disappointing setback for Cordova (19-1-2, 12 KOs), who entered the fight unbeaten and hoping to secure a third crack at a world title. The Venezuela native had previously fought Julio Cesar Martinez for the WBC flyweight title in 2023 in a fight that ultimately became a no contest, and had drawn with Yankiel Rivera last year for the WBA interim flyweight title.

Rodriguez’s inclusion in the eliminator generated controversy before the opening bell. The former unified strawweight champion was coming off a no contest against Galal Yafai after testing positive for the banned substance heptaminol following what had initially been ruled a unanimous decision victory. Despite criticism from some corners of the sport, the WBC maintained Rodriguez’s position near the top of its rankings and approved him for the title eliminator.

The fight itself was competitive and physical. Rodriguez suffered a cut above his left eye in the third round, while Cordova was cut over his right eye in the eighth. Cordova found success by forcing a faster pace and brawling while Rodriguez looked to pick his shots more from range.

The bout ended with further controversy when Cordova was deducted a point in the 12th and final round for pulling Rodriguez’s head down during an exchange. While the deduction widened the final margins on the scorecards, it did not affect the outcome.

Rodriguez improved to 40-6-1 (27 KOs) with one no contest, while Cordova suffered the first defeat of his professional career.