As they would say in his native Puerto Rico, McWilliams Arroyo “passed La Salsa and Guayacán” so the third time was the charm. But in the end, the fighter from Fajardo took a world title on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Arroyo defeated Mexican Abraham Rodríguez by knockout at 1:41 of the fifth round in a bout in which the World Boxing Council interim flyweight title was at stake after the champion in possession, also Aztec Julio César Martínez, was injured that was right. him off 24 hours before Friday’s weigh-in.
The fight between Arroyo and Martínez was the co-star of the evening and was played out by the defense of double super middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez against Turkish Avni Yildrim.
For the Puerto Rican, who had tried in vain to become world champion twice before, it was his first world title.
The first was lost to Thai Amnat Ruenroeng, in a very controversial clash, and lost to Román “Chocolatito” Martínez by unanimous decision in 2016, in a fight where the Puerto Rican had a big demonstration.
The ex-Olympian, who improved his professional record to 21-4 and 16 KOs, had a great show in the fight despite knowing nothing about Rodríguez. He opened the lawsuit with a round of study, and between the third and fourth he continued his march to finally put an end to hostilities in the fifth, forcing the referee’s intervention.
Rodriguez, who accepted the starting offer and arrived in Miami less than 24 hours later, had four consecutive wins. The last of these in March 2020. His mark dropped to 27-3 and 13 KOs.