GRADES: JESSE RODRIGUEZ, SUNNY EDWARDS, DAVID MORRELL, JAKE PAUL & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

The weekend started off with Jake Paul, everyone's favorite, returning to action with a knockout win over Andre August on Friday. However, it definitely didn't end there.

Early Saturday (American bias), Josh Kelly stopped the overmatched Placido Ramirez in short order as well. Later in the day, David Morrell stopped Sena Agbeko in two rounds. On the under card, Jose Valenzuela got his revenge against Chris Colbert, earning the Knockout of the Weekend in the process.

Also, in one of the late contender's for Fight of the Year, Jesse Rodriguez stopped the previously-unbeaten Sunny Edwards to unify the Flyweight division.

All that and much more. So, without much more ado, let's hand out these Grades:

JESSE RODRIGUEZ
GRADE: A+
RESULT: DEF. SUNNY EDWARDS, 9TKO (FLYWEIGHT)
Make no mistake about it: Jesse Rodriguez is the class of the Flyweight division.

And I don't say that because he beat some small title-holder most haven't heard of before. Which, to be fair, is common for fighters to do in the lower weight classes.

No, I'm saying it because he beat in Sunny Edwards the other top level fighter at 112 pounds -- and he beat him convincingly.

Rodriguez was patient, sharp, and accurate. Once he started getting home with his shots more consistently, he broke Edwards down and got him out of there.

Elite stuff.
 

SUNNY EDWARDS
GRADE: B
RESULT: LOSS TO JESSE RODRIGUEZ, 9TKO (FLYWEIGHT)
Sunny Edwards didn't lose to Bam Rodriguez because he is a bad fighter, finally exposed in a big fight. Edwards lost because every division has levels.

Edwards is a level or two above everyone at 112 pounds not named Jesse Rodriguez. And he showed heart, and an ability to stand and fight when he's known as a boxer and mover.

Edwards has nothing of which to be ashamed. He's slick enough, he could have ran and held when Rodriguez stepped in and uglied it up to a decision loss. Instead, he used skill to try and fight back and win.

Credit to Edwards for trying to win until the last second.

MURODJON AKHMADALIEV
GRADE: B+
RESULT: DEF. KEVIN GONZALEZ, 8TKO (JR. FEATHERWEIGHT)
Perhaps due to a fear of reinjuring his left hand, or due to coming off his first loss, Murodjon Akhmadaliev seemed a bit timid early on against the previously-undefeated Kevin Gonzalez.

That being said, to MJ's credit, he got going in those middle frames and really put a hurting on the overmatched Gonzalez. MJ used subtle angles, solid power and a tremendous uppercut that badly hurt Gonzalez, ultimately finishing him off.

Back to winning ways for the talented Akhmadaliev.

DAVID MORRELL
GRADE: A
RESULT: DEF. SENA AGBEKO, 2TKO (SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)
David Morrell punished Sena Agbeko in Showtime's final main event, punching him around the ring and ultimately earning a stoppage in the second frame.

From the get-go, it was clear Morrell was too much for his foe, who seemed(/was) unable to get anything going. And that's in large part due to the balance of speed and power Morrell seems to mix in with his tremendous skills.

Morrell, as has been the case for a while now, seems just about ready for anyone at 168 pounds.

JOSE VALENZUELA
GRADE: A
RESULT: DEF. CHRIS COLBERT, 6KO (LIGHTWEIGHT)
Jose Valenzuela still gets hit a hit too easily, and he may in fact pay for that against the best Lightweights in the world. At times, he can also rush his work.

However, getting all of the negatives out of the way, Valenzuela definitely put forth the best performance of his young career with the stoppage win over Chris Colbert.

Valenzuela was more focused than in their initial encounter, more hurtful with his shots, and made sure to take the judges out of the equation with perhaps the stoppage of the weekend.

CHRIS COLBERT
GRADE: D+
RESULT: JOSE VALENZUELA, 6KO (LIGHTWEIGHT)
Chris Colbert just isn't the fighter he thinks he is.

Listening to Colbert, he should be able to take on the best the sport has to offer. However, far too often when the American fights, you see glimpses of brilliance overshadowed by lapses in skills and concentration.

Colbert gets tagged too easily, which, when paired with a below average chin, means he will always be in danger of having a fight completely turned in his opponent's favor.

Against Jose Valenzuela, the poor defense and weak punch-resistance showed itself when Colbert was laid out in the sixth. Making matters worse this go around is the fact that we didn't even get the glimpses of brilliance in this outing.

Some serious questions to ask yourself if you're Chris Colbert.

JOSH KELLY
GRADE: A
RESULT: DEF. PLACIDO RAMIREZ, 3KO (JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT)
It's hard to be critical of anything Josh Kelly did against late-replacement Placido Ramirez. Kelly was sharp, quick-handed and put a hit more spite into his work.

True, Ramirez applied zero pressure and challenged Kelly in virtually no way. However, Josh capitalized on that by getting the quick finish.

He will be pushed much harder if Kelly is to step up at 154 pounds. However, on the night, he got the job done.

JAKE PAUL
GRADE: B
RESULT: DEF. ANDRE AUGUST, 1KO (CRUISERWEIGHT)
It's hard to grade Jake Paul's performance, considering he's facing in Andre August someone most expect to show up and play a part.

Still, credit to Paul for getting the job done quickly and confidently -- and defeating his first pro boxer. The quick KO helps add a little more luster to Paul, as well, especially considering he hasn't looked super dynamic in his last few outings.

LINKS:

- SCHEDULE & ODDS

- RESULTS

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