Rivera-Cordova draw leaves interim WBA flyweight title unresolved

Yankiel Rivera and Angelino Cordova battled to a dramatic 12-round majority draw for the vacant interim WBA flyweight title on a night that underscored how quickly fortunes can shift in the 112-pound division. The Orlando bout, the main event of a Most Valuable Promotions card streamed on DAZN, left the title unsettled while reinforcing that both fighters remain in position for a possible world-title crack as the sport reorganizes after a recent title upheaval.

The fight pitted two former Olympic contenders who have charted divergent paths to opportunity. Rivera, a Puerto Rico native who made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, arrived with a pro record built on multi-country activity and a string of wins in 2024. Cordova, from Venezuela, traveled a longer, tougher road, including a late-career surge after a coma of injuries and personal setbacks, and he arrived in Orlando vowing to embrace an underdog role that he said has driven him before. The bout, promoted by MVP and promoted as a milestone meeting between two undefeated-turned-world-title hopefuls, was framed as a long-awaited clash with a title at stake.

From the opening bell, Cordova pressed the attack with unyielding...