Eduardo Hernandez takes decision win after Thomas Mattice cut

Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez recorded a controversial sixth-round technical decision win over Thomas Mattice in their scheduled 12-round junior lightweight contest Friday in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The fight, which headlined a DAZN broadcast, saw referee Mark Calo-oy call off the fight just before the start of the seventh round, after the ringside doctor called for a stoppage following an accidental clash of heads between the fighters. 

Mexico’s Hernandez, 26, went straight at Cleveland’s 34-year-old Mattice with body shots at the opening bell, but Mattice kept his composure. The next two rounds brought some good results for Mattice, who used his jabs effectively, but Hernandez continued going to the body with good shots.

In Round 5, Hernandez (36-2, 32 KOs) continued attacking Mattice (22-3-1, 17 KOs) as he looked to wear him down. However, that did not trouble Mattice, who started throwing timely hooks as the fight progressed.

Mattice started finding his feet in the sixth, landing dangerous shots, which started to change the tempo of the fight. But then Mattice suffered a cut from the clash of heads, which swung the momentum back in favor of Hernandez.

The Mexican utilized the cut on Mattice by landing quick shots and proving busier. Later in the sixth, a second cut left Mattice bleeding and on the run in a fight for survival.

It wouldn’t be Mattice’s night. Just before the commencement of the seventh, Calo-oy called for a technical decision, which went to Hernandez on scorecards of 59-55, 58-55 and 58-56.

The decision infuriated Mattice, who moments before the stoppage had started picking up impressive points. At 34, Mattice would need another opportunity against Hernandez to improve his chances in the division.

Meanwhile, Hernandez could land a shot at fighting the winner of Robson Conceicao vs. O’Shaquie Foster II on Nov. 2 at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in New York.

In a post-fight interview, Hernandez, who spoke through an interpreter after the fight, said, “I’m very disappointed, but I’m disappointed by the way he’s behaved. We got the win, but it’s not the way we wanted to get it.”

Hernandez added that he was looking forward to what’s ahead.

“In the future,” he said, “I want to go and get that world title shot.”

On the undercard, Sergio Mendoza (24-0, 21 KOs) earned a third-round stoppage of Angel Serrano (32-2-2, 19 KOs) in a flyweight contest. In a super middleweight fight, Julio Porras (12-0, 8 KOs) defeated Isaac Torres (10-1, 10 KOs) via unanimous decision.

And in the opener, Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0, 3 KOs) dominated Jesus Castorena (5-2, 2 KOs), recording a unanimous decision victory in their six-round junior welterweight contest.

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].