Jesse Rodriguez Eyes Juan Francisco Estrada Next at 115
Having captured world titles at flyweight and junior bantamweight, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12) has established himself as a star in boxing’s lower-weight divisions. Now Bam is looking to return to the junior bantamweight division with an eye on facing reigning WBC 115-pound champion Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs).
Rodriguez is the talk of the boxing world after scoring a ninth-round stoppage over Sunny Edwards to become the unified flyweight champion on December 16. It was a terrific contest and a candidate for the 2023 Fight of the Year.
MAKING IT PERFECTLY CLEAR
After the victory over Edwards, Rodriguez declared he intends to vacate the belts at 112 and once again campaign at 115. Bam is hunting for a fight with Estrada. He explained why during the post-fight interview.
“I’ve been wanting that fight. Even when I was at 115, I was calling him out. So, why not make it happen now?”
Rodriguez was previously a WBC champion at junior bantamweight. After defending that belt twice, he relinquished that title in October 2022 with the goal to win a second championship at flyweight. The WBC subsequently named Estrada as their champion at junior bantamweight. But now Rodriguez is on a mission to regain the WBC 115-pound title.
RIGHT TIME AND RIGHT FIGHT
A matchup between Bam and Gallo makes all the sense in the world. They’re elite fighters whose styles would produce a fantastic battle. Both men are promoted by Eddie Hearn, who is on record saying he wants to make it a reality.
Estrada was in attendance for Rodriguez versus Edwards. Was that a coincidence? Highly unlikely. With Bam and Hearn seemingly on one accord for a lower-weight super-fight with Estrada, look for it to occur at some point in 2024.
