Misael Rodriguez handled his business against ‘El Businessman.’

Not even a natural size disadvantage affected the unbeaten super middleweight, who earned a unanimous decision over Omar Chavez in his first ten-round fight. Rodriguez won by scores of 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92 in their TV Azteca/ESPN+ main event Saturday evening from Arena Potosi in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Chihuahua’s Rodriguez did his best to have fun throughout a fight he wasn’t sure would take place until a few hours before the opening bell. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist for Mexico was on standby for several hours as Culiacan’s Chavez nearly blew off a mandated same-day weight check necessary for the fight to move forward after Friday’s weigh-in folly.

Chavez blew weight during his first trip to the scale on Friday, then arrived five hours later and still needed two more attempts to get to the 169-pound contracted limit. Both fighters were required to weigh no heavier than 186 at Saturday’s weight check, which Chavez was able to get postponed by five hours yet still showed up nearly 90 minutes late—but on weight.

Once the bell sounded to begin the actual fight, Rodriguez worked behind his jab in the opening three minutes and postured to the crowd at round’s end. Chavez offered little in the way of an offensive attack, but ended every round as if he’d done enough to win.

A similar sequence transpired in the second, as Chavez remained behind a defensive shell. Not even the visibly massive size advantage was beneficial to the second-generation boxer, who was constantly a step behind the more polished Rodriguez.

Chavez was warned for hitting behind the head and later for using his forearm. A point deduction never came, though the officiating was tight given the high tensions from the pre-fight build-up.

Rodriguez was warned for a headbutt in the fifth. He gathered his composure and went on the attack. A left hook by Rodriguez caught the attention of Chavez, who was never in danger of being stopped but also gave away most, if not all, of the rounds in the first half.

Chavez landed consistently to the body in the seventh. It drew a rise out of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Omar’s father who escorted him to the ring and was seated ringside. Rodriguez shook off the blows and countered with a right hand.

Both fighters sought success with their respective jabs in the eighth. Chavez used his to set up combinations to the body. Rodriguez’s jab cleared a path for his straight right hand which snapped back the head of Chavez. Rodriguez landed in combination near the end of the round, while Chavez offered little more than a sturdy target.

Chavez attempted to smother Rodriguez’s punches in the ninth. Rodriguez easily adjusted and found his desired range to land in bunches and slip the incoming right hands. Chavez wasn’t as fortunate, as he struggled to find a response for Rodriguez’s superior workrate and combination punching.

Rodriguez peppered Chavez with one-twos throughout the tenth and final round. Chavez reached a point where he badly needed a knockout but was unable to let his punches fly. The end of the fight prompted Chavez and Rodriguez both to extend their arms in the air.

The judges eventually got it right, despite the look of disgust on Chavez’s face as if he were the victim of an in-ring injustice.

Rodriguez advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs) with the win. The bout marked his first scheduled ten-rounder, and with that the first time he’d gone past the eighth round.

Chavez fell to 41-9-1 (28 KOs). The setback snapped a three-fight win streak against nondescript competition.

In undercard action, Jose Amaro and Jorge Ascanio both picked up stoppage wins in different yet equally dramatic fashion.

Monterrey’s Amaro (12-0-1, 4 KOs) battered Luis Rodriguez (15-2, 14 KOs) into submission seconds into the tenth and final round. The fight could have been stopped several rounds earlier, but finally brought to a halt when a bloodied Rodriguez was left defenseless at the start of the final frame of their junior featherweight affair.

Ascanio (11-1-1, 8 KOs) earned his fourth straight win—and third stoppage in a row—with a brutal fourth-round knockout of late substitute Adrian Robles (6-2-1, 5 KOs). Their bout also took place at junior featherweight and ended when Ascanio slammed home consecutive left hooks to put Robles down and out. The fight was stopped at 1:15 of round four.

Jake Donovan is part of the U.S. team for The Ring. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.