Juan Francisco Estrada’s (44-4-0, 28 KOs) World Boxing Council (WBC) championship belt now goes to Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0-0, 13 KOs) after seven rounds of dominance. But it was more than belts that were transferred; it was also torches.
On a night that had its memorable moments, the main event truly shined. El Gallo showed glimpses of his masterful self, but they were few and far between. The younger “Bam” Rodriguez lived up to his name, delivering blow after blow but doing so with patience beyond his age. In the end, Rodriguez landed 156 punches to Estrada’s 95. The final punch proved too much.
Estrada’s last fight came a year and a half ago but the 34-year-old is one of the more proven boxers in the weight class. His 47-bout professional career includes wins in World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship bouts. He’s a future Hall of Fame boxer who enjoyed a long buildup to this bout.
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Rodriguez says he idolized Estrada as an amateur and that fighting him for a title was an honor. This is Rodriguez’s first bout in the super flyweight category since Sept. 17, 2022, when he won the WBC World Super Flyweight title. After that bout, he dropped down to the flyweight category and picked up two world titles in the class from the WBO and International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Now, he’s back up to the super flyweight class and its champion.
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Estrada vs. Rodriguez highlights El Gallo and Bam Rodriguez delivered a great fight. It was indeed one that seemed like the passing of the torch with the 24-year-old dominating the event from the first bell. Here are some of the more memorable moments.
Estrada vs. Rodriguez round-by-round analysis Round 1: This isn’t going to be a master-apprentice fight as Rodriguez came out eager to put his mark on the bout early. El Gallo needs to put the younger Rodriguez on his backfoot but instead left himself open for some hard shots. Round 2: Bam has been the more successful aggressor but, more importantly, is the more elusive of the two. He is showing his deft ability to hit and change angles instantly. Round 3: El Gallo lost his legs in this round after taking a number of hard shots, including a devasting right hook. Bam is not only punishing the elder Estrada but isn’t offering much up as far as a static target. Round 4: El Gallo, after showing glimpses of deft footwork and high energy, loses out to the more patient Rodriguez whose combination puts Estrada down. El Gallo looks weathered. Round 5: Bam is getting what he wants now. Where he was willing to wait things out and pick his spots, he’s now opted to engage more aggressively. Round 6: Bam may not be resting on his laurels but he certainly got some time to himself on the canvas after a huge right from El Gallo who sparked the crowd. Like the theme of the night, Bam closed out the round in better shape and seems to have the momentum still. Round 7: Bam gave Phoenix a constant barrage of power and precision. In the seventh round, the mighty finally fell for good. El Gallo couldn’t withstand the onslaught and succumbed with a knockout from a devastating body shot. Winner: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (KO)
Juan Francisco Estrada highlights Estrada’s last fight came in December 2022 for the vacant WBC World Super Flyweight title versus Roman Gonzalez. He won that bout via majority decision.
Estrada hasn’t lost a bout since a majority decision on Feb. 24, 2018. Since then, he’s won eight consecutive bouts, including two by knockout.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez highlights Rodriguez is one of the top fighters in the world. BoxRec puts him No. 21 in its pound-for-pound rankings ahead of this fight and The Ring rates him as the best Flyweight fighter in the world.
His last bout was Dec. 16, 2023 against previously undefeated flyweight contender Sunny Edwards. He earned a round nine win via corner stoppage.
That was his second bout of 2023. Before that match, he fought Christian Gonzalez Hernandez in April for the vacant WBO World Flyweight belt. He won that fight by unanimous decision.
