Yankiel Rivera (7-0-1, 3 KOs) and Angelino Cordova (19-0-2, 12 KOs fought to an entertaining 12-round majority draw in a fight for the vacant WBA interim flyweight belt in the headliner at the  Caribe Royale Orlando, in Orlando, Florida.

Cordova’s Aggression Goes Unrewarded

Cordova, 29, was the aggressor, landed the harder, cleaner punches, and did more damage with his punches. In the 11th, he staggered Rivera after connecting with repeated hard lefts and rights. Rivera headlocked his way out of the round to survive the final seconds. It was pretty to watch.

The judges scored it 115-111 for Cordova, 113-113, and 113-113. Rivera knocked Cordova down in round four, or should I say, ‘he threw him down.’ In the sixth, the referee, Luis Pabon, deducted a point from Cordova for a rabbit punch.

Findal Punch stats

• Yaniel Rivera: 84 of 340 for a 25%
• Angelino Cordova: 82 of 609 for a 14%

Cordova fought well enough to deserve the victory based on his aggression, harder shots, and the ambition that he showed. Yankiel looked frustrated with the pressure that he was receiving, as he couldn’t keep Cordova off. The odd angles of Cordova’s punches made it hard for him to block the incoming fire.

Rivera looked good at times, landing shots, but not showing any power. He was cut in the third round from a clash of heads. There were a lot of head clashes besides. The problem was that Rivera was frequently initiating clinches when Cordova would throw.

It was a quick call on his part. Both fighters were playing it rough throughout the fight. Rivera got away with excessive holding, the throwdown knockdown, and frequent headlocks.

Baraou’s Upset Victory

In the chief support fight, Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) dethroned WBA interim junior middleweight champion Yoenis Tellez (10-1, 7 KOs), winning a 12-round unanimous decision.

Barou knocked the Cuban Tellez down with a blizzard of punches in the 12th round. Going into that round, Tellez had fought well, getting the better of Barou in rounds 10 and 11.

The scores 116-111, 115-112 and 117-110