12 September 2024; Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico; Eduardo Hernandez and Thomas Mattice pose after the weigh-in in front of the Matchroom Boxing card at Arena Sonora in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Mandatory credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom.
Thomas Mattice stormed out of the ring immediately after the scorecards were read Friday night in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. If he had held on a few more minutes, he would have realized how justified his indignation was.
His twelve-round scheduled fight against Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez at Arena Sonora ended in a technical decision after a ringside doctor ruled after the sixth round that Hernandez could not continue due to a cut above his left eye, which the second of two cuts was what had an impact. his vision. The scorecards were read, with Hernandez (36-2, 32 knockouts) being named the winner by unanimous decision with scores of 59-55, 58-55 and 58-56.
Moments later, the DAZN broadcast was able to isolate video of the two cuts. The first one was caused by a headbutt near the end of the fourth, but it was the second one that the ring doctor said was the reason for the fight’s stoppage. That one, which occurred in the sixth round, was clearly caused by a right uppercut as Hernandez carelessly bowled his way.
Had the right decision been made on that cut, Cleveland, Ohio native Mattice (22-4-1, 17 KOs) would have earned a technical knockout victory.
The ruling is not the first officiating controversy Hernandez has been involved in. The 26-year-old from Mexico City was just 22 seconds away from winning the WBC junior lightweight title from O’Shaquie Foster last October in Cancun, Mexico, with two judges inexplicably having Hernandez wide – including one judge who Hernandez had 11 had won previous rounds – despite most observers seeing the fight as a tight contest with Foster slightly ahead.
Foster ended up dropping Hernandez twice in the twelfth round, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome if the fight hadn’t been stopped.
Hernandez started the match strongly and pressured the action against the slow-starting American. The biggest punches of his early offense were right hooks to the body and overhand rights behind the high guard as Mattice looked to establish his jab and get a feel for the ring.
Hernandez began breaking through with power shots in the third as he slipped in uppercuts in close, while Mattice began landing left hooks when Hernandez’s right hand ventured too far to land jabs.
The fight kicked up another gear in the fifth as Hernandez’s face started pouring with blood and both fighters attempted to bank rounds in case the fight was stopped due to cuts. The blood caused Hernandez to become more aggressive, opening him up to counters from Mattice, including a right hand and left uppercut combination
Mattice continued to take target practice on Hernandez’s rapidly deteriorating face, landing another right hand to open the sixth. After the uppercut caused the second cut, it was clear that Hernandez was no longer able to see the punches coming in time to react adequately as right hands and left uppercuts began to land more frequently.
The loss ends a five-fight winning streak for the 34-year-old Mattice, who is coming off the best run of his career, having beaten previously unbeaten fighters Christian Tapia and Ramiro Cesena in recent bouts.
Hernandez, ranked as no. 2 by the WBC, remains in position to challenge the winner of the rematch between Robson Conceicao and O’Shaquie Foster on November 2.
