Nicholas Walters vs. Gamalier Rodriguez

1st scheduled defense of Walters' 126lb WBA Super world title, in NYC on March 21st.

This will be the co-main event with Terence Crawford on top of the bill, opponent TBA but strongly rumored to be Chris Algieri for Algieri's vacated WBO 140lb title.

Who is Gamalier Rodriguez, you may ask? Well, you can be forgiven your ignorance assuming you aren't either Puerto Rican or a devout watcher of Solo Boxeo. Indeed, seven of his nine televised performances (including his last six bouts straight) have been on UniMas/Telefutura, with the others being undercard appearances on Versus (Abner Mares vs. Carlos Fulgencio in 2009) and on Top Rank Live Stream (preliminaries of Salido vs. Lopez II) which technically isn't even TV.

Anyway, he's a decent fighter. He's 25-2-3 and you'll note his résumé is thin on names - but he is decent. He's a damaging puncher, if a bit sloppy...and often dirty, which you can either view as pro or con. He frequently cuts opponents (two of his three draws are prematurely halted technical draws) and can gain the upper hand physically with his rough-housing, but he is no stranger to point deductions and may be lucky to have come this far without a disqualification loss. His raw strength and willingness to bend the rules are pretty much all Rodriguez has going for him on paper against Walters...along with half an inch of height (and Walters really isn't well accustomed to giving up height to anybody, having only done it a couple of times in his career)

By far his best victory is over countryman Orlando Cruz, fresh off the severe hiding Orlando Salido gave him. I scored it 96-93 Rodriguez (as did one judge, the other two had it 97-92), 7-3 in rounds with a point deduction. He bossed the pansy around with body work and messy pressure but didn't appear incredibly difficult to outbox, had Cruz put his mind to it and not seemed to have been left with zero confidence after Siri got through with him. Aside from Cruz, his next best result is a wide but competitive decision over Pacquiao lookalike Allan Tanada in a show-stealer on Top Rank Live Stream. (that is, best of the online prelims - but still paling in comparison with the aired portion of the Showtime card itself)

Nothing in Rodriguez's past suggests he is here to do anything but provide a gimme defense in which the Axe Man should be able to get in some rounds belting a rough & tough guy until likely forcing a late TKO. Rodriguez must be a voluntary, as he is unrated in the WBA top 15, although he is the WBO #1 contender and therefore Vasyl Lomachenko's mandatory (not that he would ever get that fight, unless he were to spring the upset here on Walters and have the lure of unification as leverage)

 

Rodriguez is riding a 4-year win streak (undefeated since mid-2009, with essentially a two-year layoff after that with only a single minute of action in 2010 due to an early head clash) - going 17-0 (13) in that run, although most of those kayos were over Dominican tomato cans.

Otherwise there isn't much to say to pump this up. If he struggles with Rodriguez, it just tells us Walters isn't ready for prime-time and that Darchinyan and Donaire were even more shot than previously believed.

Both this and the rumored Crawford vs. Algieri match-up could turn out to be prolonged one-sided beat-downs ending in mercy stoppages.

 

Gammy has never been stopped, and maybe never officially down - but I've seen him hurt on at least one occasion. It was late in the 4th, versus Cruz... he was put in a headlock and extricated himself awkwardly, taking a Cruz elbow on the chin, and was left defenseless as Cruz landed a big right hook at the bell, which dropped G-Rod in a heap but wasn't ruled a knockdown even though it was a. clearly from the punch, even if a foul set him up for it (shades of Holt vs. Torres II) and b. the shot was clearly at the same time or even a split-second before the bell sounded.

 

If its a mandatory defense, I am all up for it. Just give us Walters vs Gradovich/Lomanchecko/Gonzales later in the year.

 

Rodriguez vs. Cruz:

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Not impressed (unless it's a mando) hopefully Lomachenko's fight is a bit more evenly matched.

 

Nope. Gammy would've been the WBO mandatory (he became the #1 contender, having been the #2, when Piriyapinyo lost) so Lomachenko would have actually had an excuse to defend against him.

Walters selected him from outside his org's top 15.

 

I've only seen a little bit of Rodriguez, he looks like a tough fighter but nothing special. Walters should be able to deal with him.

Overall I find this to be a pretty average doubleheader if it does happen.

Walters-Rodriguez looks like it could deliver some action but its a top 2-3 guy against someone who probably sits outside the top 15.

Crawford-Algeri is a more competitive fight but one that could lack action.

I hope atleast one of these guys(Crawford and Walters) gets a different opponent or a 3rd fight gets added to the card.

 

Terence Vs. Chris is a compelling match up.

 

Walters has pulled out.

His manager claimed he caught a "very bad flu" but the going rumor is that Walters had put on exorbitant weight over the holidays and was anxious having to cut it by March 21st (the original date kicked around had been sometime in April) so the flu is just a cover story.

 

I don't know whether Gammy is lucky or unlucky here.

On the one hand, it deprives him of a payday and the chance to appear on American TV (not to mention the long-shot of nabbing the belt!) but on the other he gets to avoid being likely taking a prolong beating and ultimately worn down and KTFO. :!:

 

If Crawford beats Algieri, he could challenge Mikey Garcia.

 

lol You are right about that.

 

This raises some interesting questions.

Now that he is free (not scheduled to meet Walters, or coming off a loss to him with his stock accordingly lowered, which probably would have caused him to lose his ranking), can Rodriguez - still the WBO #1 contender - enforce his mandatory position for a shot at Lomachenko?

Just having been mentioned as Walters' next opponent has increased Rodriguez's visibility. A month ago, were Lomachnko to have made his mandatory defense, most people would have asked "Gamalier who? :huh" - whereas now he's the guy that was scheduled to challenge Walters for the WBA belt and got left hanging by the Jamaican.

He is honestly no less deserving a contender than Piriyapinyo (who as of his challenge was the WBO #1, Rodriguez just behind him at #2 and thus ascending by attrition when Piriyapinyo lost) and stylistically could pose more problems for Hi-Tech. In many ways he is similar to Orlando Salido, against whom Lomachenko has experienced his only real struggles to date in the pros:

Mexican (and fights like it)
Tough
Awkwardly aggressive
Hard-punching, with both hands, to head and body
Fights dirty

Of course, Rodriguez isn't on Salido's level, but he does possess a lot of those same qualities that bothered Lomachenko, so if the Ukrainian were to have an off night and take Rodriguez lightly... :conf