THE World Boxing Council (WBC) has ordered a rematch between interim WBC bantamweight champion Reymart Gaballo and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
“After a formal appeal was received by the WBC, a committee of ring officials completed a thorough analysis and review of the match, resulting in the order of free negotiations for an immediate rematch between Gaballo and Rodríguez,” the WBC posted in its official website.
Gaballo and Rodriguez fought for the interim WBC bantamweight strap on Dec. 19, 2020 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Gaballo got the nod of two of the three judges with scores of 115-113 and 116-112, while Rodriguez, the former International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion, won the scorecard of one judge, 118-110.
Rodriguez felt that he was robbed of a victory as he was very effective with his counter punches. But Gaballo was on the offense all night long and must have won the two judges because of his aggressiveness.
The 28-year-old Rodriguez stepped in as a replacement for WBC bantamweight king Nordine Oubaali as Filipino star Nonito Donaire’s opponent after the French champion contracted the Covid-19 virus.
However, just days before the fight Donaire Jr. also tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to back out. Luckily, Gaballo was also scheduled to fight in the same card and was moved up to the main event to face Rodriguez.
The 24-year-old Gaballo is 24-0 with 20 knockouts, while Rodriguez is 19-2 with 12 knockouts.
Meanwhile, the WBC also wrote in their statement that Oubaali is scheduled to defend his belt in March against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The winner of the that fight will face No. 1 contender Donaire Jr. (EKA)