Caoimhin Agyarko Extends Unbeaten Run, Decisions Juan Carlos Rubio

Caoimhin Agyarko extended his unbeaten record to 11 fights with a hard-earned ten-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Juan Carlos Rubio on the Wood-Conlan bill in Nottingham. 

Rubio was tough and relentless, but a bit too one-paced to really threaten Agyarko, who often boxed in spurts and maybe loaded up a bit much. 

There was no doubt that Agyarko won though, taking every round on the cards of Steve Gray and Guillermo Perez Pineda, while Leszek Jankowiak made it 98-92. The fight was for the WBA’s “international” belt. 

Agyarko, who was born in south London before moving to Belfast as a young child, tried to pot shot from the outside and it started working in the second, when he tagged Rubio with a right, although there were signs in the third that Rubio was timing Agyarko better, as he landed a decent left. 

The Irishman was guilty of diving in a bit as Rubio frustrated him in the fourth, but Agyarko finished the round brilliantly with two huge right hands, the second rocking Rubio back on the ropes. 

But that was not a sign that Agyarko was going to overwhelm the Mexican, as Agyarko took his time and stayed on the outside.  

Rubio was doing OK, holding centre ring and working well behind the jab, but when Agyarko went forward with a double jab and right hand he usually landed. And whenever Rubio overstretched, he would usually find a right-hand counter coming his way. 

There was another breakthrough for Agyarko in the eighth, as he staggered Rubio with two right hands and a good left hook, although Rubio never stopped trying to lead off, despite the increasing swelling around his left eye. 

But Agyarko could not get rid of Rubio who, to his credit, was the one coming forward at the final bell. 

Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 – covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.