Reymart Gaballo 24-0 (20) claimed the interim WBC bantamweight title with a controversial 12-round split decision win over Emmanuel Rodriguez 19-2 (12) at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday night.
The 24-year-year old Filipino was the aggressor throughout the bout, but Puerto Rican Rodriguez controlled the ring.
Judge David Sutherland scored the bout 118-110 for Rodriguez, while judge John McKaie had it 115-113 for Gaballo and judge Don Trella saw it 116-112 for Gaballo.
The result did not go down well with the Showtime broadcast crew.
“It was a poor decision,” said Steve Farhood, who could only find two rounds to give to the new titleholder. “Gaballo was the aggressor throughout, but he was a very ineffective aggressor.”
Raul Marquez and Al Bernstein both agreed.
“There’s no way Gaballo could have won that fight,” Marquez said. “In the worst-case scenario, you could have maybe given him three rounds. I gave him no rounds.”
“I’m speechless over this, because Rodriguez was controlling the rounds and of the clean, effective punches that were landing, clearly most of them were his,” Bernstein said.
Despite the controversial nature of the decision, Gaballo was rapt with the result.
“I am very happy and blessed to win this belt,” Gaballo said. “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.”
Unsurprisingly, Rodriguez found the loss hard to swallow.
“It was a good fight, but he only won about two or three rounds,” the 28-year-old 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 main support bout fast-rising welterweight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 26-0 (24) saw his fight against Chris van Heerden 28-2-1 (12) cut short when an unintentional clash of heads opened up a nasty gash on Heerden’s forehead.
“Before the headbutt I had already cut him and I felt strong. I knew he was ready to go,” said Ennis.
“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.”
Undefeated bantamweight Gary Antonio Russell 18-0 (12) scored a seventh-round TKO over former world champion Juan Carlos Payano 21-5 (9) who suffered a cut over his left eye from a headclash in the fifth round.
Scores were 58-56 and 59-55 twice when the bout was stopped at the 0:01 mark.
At welterweight Brandun Lee 21-0 (19) defeated Dakota Linger 12-5-2 (8) by third-round stoppage. Referee Dan Schiavone waved off the fight at 1:17.
Junior middleweight Benjamin Whitaker 15-4 (3) won an eight-round majority decision over previously unbeaten Zsolt Daranyi 15-1 (14) by scores of 79-73, 77-75 and 76-76.
