Spectators at the Footprint Center in Phoenix were left in awe as Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0-0, 13 KO) delivered a stunning display of dominance, becoming the new WBC super flyweight world champion by knocking out the much more experienced Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada (44-4-0, 28 KO) with a devastating body uppercut in the seventh round. This monumental performance cements the 24-year-old Texan as one of the most talented fighters in the current global boxing scene across all weight classes.
After a cautious first round where both fighters maintained a high work rate with quick combinations without committing too much, the challenger began to dictate the pace with his jab starting in the second round. Bam’s jab was extraordinarily effective, delivered in various ways, changing speed and trajectory to make it unpredictable and extremely difficult for Estrada to counter.
Given the considerable toughness both athletes have shown in their careers, it was thought before the fight that a conclusion inside the distance was less likely than a full twelve rounds, but this theory began to falter in the third round. Rodriguez’s perfect right uppercut, executed after two small lateral movements that opened up a clear shot, shook Estrada and forced him to retreat desperately towards the ropes.
This was a prelude to what the spectators would see in the next round when Bam “opened” his opponent’s guard with a quick left uppercut, then unleashed a devastating one-two to the chin, scoring the first knockdown of the fight. The reigning champion quickly got up and bravely tried to get back into the fight but with little success. In the fifth round, Estrada experienced a dominance he had never faced in his 16-year career: Rodriguez’s punches landed in rapid succession from every angle, battering a bewildered and helpless Gallo from one side of the ring to the other, exhausting him.
Just when the end seemed near, an unexpected twist made the spectators jump out of their seats: likely already convinced he had victory in hand, Rodriguez relaxed and at the start of the sixth round stood a second too long in front of his opponent, within range of Estrada’s right hand. Estrada seized the opportunity, landing a powerful and precise blow that floored the young challenger, eliciting a roar of disbelief from the crowd. Bam, however, overcame this setback brilliantly: after getting up, he regained firm control, so much so that the round could rightfully be scored 10-9 for Estrada despite the knockdown.
A few seconds before the end of the seventh round, Rodriguez’s uppercut, deserving to be named a UNESCO heritage punch, returned to the spotlight, this time decisively. The Texan’s favored punch struck Estrada’s body, folding him in half and dropping him painfully to the canvas for the final count.
With this victory, Jesse Rodriguez could easily be placed by The Ring’s panel, the most prestigious boxing magazine, among the top six in the P4P rankings. Despite being only 24 years old and having just 20 professional fights, the phenomenal athlete from San Antonio has already built an impressive resume with dominant victories against fighters once considered sacrosanct in international boxing.
His talent is so extraordinary that some are even fantasizing about a possible match between Bam and the “Monster” Naoya Inoue, a notion that Rodriguez himself deemed far-fetched during the post-fight interview: “I know people want that but let’s be real, right now it’s a fantasy fight. I’ve gotta work my way up. He’s at 122lbs right now, I’m at 115lbs. I’ve got business to handle at this weight class… I want the winner of Kazuto Ioka vs Fernando Martinez”.
As for Estrada, this heavy defeat could mark the end of his long and glorious career. At 34 years old and after 48 professional fights, the talented Mexican fighter seemed to show the inevitable wear and tear from countless battles. His skill is still alive, and it is entirely possible that Gallo could still wrap another world title around his waist against a less talented opponent than Rodriguez. However, it might be more prudent to retire before further physical decline forces him to deliver performances unworthy of his fame and sporting history.
A final note on the official judges’ scorecards. At the time of the KO, they showed a tie: one judge, the only sensible one, had Rodriguez ahead 58-54, another had it 57-56 in favor of Estrada, while the last saw the match in total equilibrium at 56-56. The author of this article believes it is important to highlight that the latter two scores are gravely misleading compared to what was seen in the ring. It’s impossible not to recall the verdict that unjustly favored Gallo in his second fight against Roman Gonzalez: once again, the Mexican was benefiting from blatant “favoritism” from the jury, a favor that, fortunately, had no consequences this time.