ORLANDO — It was an ugly and physical affair for 12 rounds between
Yankiel Rivera and
Angelino Cordova.
When the dust settled, neither guy prevailed as the fight was fittingly scored a majority draw in their 12-round clash for the interim world flyweight title. Judge Robert Hoyle had it 115-111 for Cordova, while judges Alex Levin and James Ged O'Connor had it 113-113.
It didn’t take long for the fight to turn ugly between Rivera (7-0-1, 3 KOs) and Cordova. From the opening bell, referee Luis Pabon was admonishing both fighters as there were numerous occasions with Rivera or Cordova (19-0-2, 12 KOs) shoving the other to the ground or being warned for punching on the break.
The fight largely struggled to find a rhythm, as pockets of action between the dynamic flyweights were more often than not interrupted by a clinch.
In the fourth round, Rivera appeared to rock Cordova and later, when the two were tied up, Rivera shoved Cordova to the ground and Pabon ruled it a knockdown.
The fourth round also featured a clash of heads that cut Rivera on his left eyelid and led to the fight being stopped on multiple occasions for the ringside doctor to check on it. In the sixth round, Cordova was deducted a point.
When the fight was able to breathe, both fighters had their moments. Rivera often found success with his speed and skill out of the southpaw stance.
Cordova also had multiple moments when he appeared to rock Rivera, but struggled to sustain and build on that momentum, which gave him the edge in rounds on all three scorecards.