On Saturday on the Footprint Heart in Phoenix, the primary occasion featured 230 kilos of pure badassery – on this case, divided between two males. Future Corridor of Famer “El Gallo” Juan Francisco Estrada, 34, despatched rising star Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 24, to the canvas for the primary time in his profession. Rodriguez answered again with a seventh-round knockout – a literal and figurative intestine punch heard ‘around the boxing world. The motion all through was superlative.
The second felt like a passing of the torch, however was that the night time’s most resonant subtext? We requested our BoxingScene employees to think about after which weigh in with their key takeaway from the result of Saturday’s superfight.
Tris Dixon: Laborious to slender it right down to only one, so I gained’t. However firstly, there appears to all the time be one “on the market” scorecard each week, and it has occurred once more with Javier Camacho, who had Estrada up on the time of the stoppage. Secondly, I’m amazed at somebody like “Bam” being so risk-averse in each manner. He parks with no handbrake. Lastly, the smile when he was dropped revealed a lot about his aggressive spirit. We knew he had that from the matches he has taken, however his urge for food for battle appears outstanding and is splendidly refreshing.
Lance Pugmire: With apologies to a legend, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez deserves to be let free to discover all that’s earlier than him on this lovely, cruel sport. Sure, veteran two-division champion Juan Francisco Estrada had the cache to demand a rematch clause and he stated there are issues he may do otherwise to win a second combat.
Sorry, the attention check by the remainder of us says in any other case.
Rodriguez dominated Estrada all through, backing him with energy blows and out-maneuvering him with elegant footwork. It was reprehensible that decide Robert Tapper had the bout even on the time of Rodriguez’s seventh-round knockout victory, delivered by physique blow. And maybe it was one thing worse that Mexico decide Javier Camacho had it 57-56 for his countryman Estrada when the previous champion was left writhing in ache and rolling on the canvas because the combat was waved off.
The questions have been answered. The matter has been settled. Bam Rodriguez is now on his approach to the highest 5 of the game’s pound-for-pound listing. He’s completed with Estrada and on to the work of unifying the division, with a distant eye, maybe, on Japan’s double-undisputed champion Naoya Inoue, who’s simply seven kilos above Rodriguez.
Let’s let that practice roll on. Estrada has been left downed in its path.
Declan Warrington: Rodriguez demonstrated, once more, that he’s not solely one of many very most interesting fighters on this planet, however one who, more and more, is unmissable. In successive fights he has stopped extremely revered opponents to show himself the world’s finest at flyweight, after which at junior bantamweight. He’s unquestionably in his prime; a combat between he and Fernando Martinez notably appeals.
Eric Raskin: My podcast co-host Kieran Mulvaney and I simply completed recording a pod by which we each discovered ourselves evaluating this victory to totally different early Manny Pacquiao wins. That’s fairly darned telling about the best way this KO of Estrada took our already excessive notion of Bam to a different degree.
And what an absolute reward for boxing followers that he’s solely 24 years outdated. This isn’t like following Terence Crawford or Oleksandr Usyk, the place we all know our time with them in our lives, entertaining us, is winding down. Rodriguez has extra top-quality wins on his resume already at age 24 than most modern-day pound-for-pounders get round to earlier than turning 30, and it appears like he has solely simply begun.
Lucas Ketelle: Bam is critically one thing else. Neglect about any criticism of him beating solely growing old fighters; that’s pure nonsense. We’re speaking a couple of fighter who may dominate the decrease weight lessons for years to return, if not a full decade. What I noticed Saturday night time was the announcement of a star, on par with legends like Michael Carbajal, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Bam positive appears like an upcoming all-time nice, making his mark and ending the reign of the final era’s finest.
Owen Lewis: The enduring picture of the combat for me is how shortly Bam reacted to getting dropped. He didn’t wait an prompt earlier than getting up and confirmed no lingering results from the shot, both, placing Estrada proper again on the defensive when the combat resumed. This right here isn’t just a dynamic offensive fighter however somebody who reacts positively to adversity – which suggests his ceiling might be out of sight.
Jason Langendorf: If you happen to’re a combat fan, it’s time to sweat the small stuff.
Saturday in Phoenix, Rodriguez and Estrada – bless their little hearts – confirmed us the best way. So, too, did 6-foot flyweight Rafael Espinoza solely a couple of week in the past. And Oscar Collazo and Gerardo Zapata the week earlier than. It might be argued that each one the world’s high must-watch fighters – assume Naoya Inoue, Gervonta Davis, Emanuel Navarrete – function at light-weight or under. As of late, you may’t swing a cat with out hitting some dude who, come to consider it, doesn’t weigh rather more than the one that you love Fluffy – but additionally fires off 70 punches a spherical and drops opponents on the identical charge as the large boys.
Need extra? Tune in Saturday when 135-pounder William Zepeda – who leads all CompuBox-recorded fighters by a San Mateo Atenco mile in per-round punches thrown – takes on Giovanni Cabrera. And two weeks later, get up early to look at 118-pounder Junto Nakatani whirl and dervish in opposition to Vincent Astrolabio in Japan. They, together with Bam-Gallo, are stark reminders to boxing motion junkies: Go little or go residence.
