Mario Rodriguez upsets Nkosinathi Joyi by 7th rd. stoppage!

By Sig Guillermo
Gimnasio Municipal Luis Estrada Medina, Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico- In a tremendous upset, former NABF minimumweight titlist, Mario “Dragoncito” Rodriguez (15W-6L-11KO’s-4D) went on to dethrone IBF Strawweight World Champion, Nkosinathi “Mabere” Joyi (22W-1L-15KO’s) of Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, South Africa via seventh round stoppage to earn the IBF strap in his hometown of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico.   

Rodriguez, 23, had been returning from a three-fight knockout run against rugged countryman, Armando “Chiquita” Vazquez (20W-9L-4KO’s), former WBC light flyweight champion, Gilberto Keb “Baby Luis V” Baas (35W-22L-22KO’s-4D), and former Colombian titlist, Karluis Diaz (17W-4L-13KO’s).