Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez Dethrones RING/WBC Champion Juan Francisco Estrada With 7th Round Knockout

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez laughed as he hit the deck.

A brief taste of adversity early in the sixth round was all the motivation he needed to finish what he started. Rodriguez overcame that slight setback to upset Juan Francisco Estrada, knocking him out to win the RING and WBC 115-pound championships. A left hand to the body forced Estrada to the canvas, where he was counted out at the end of the seventh round on Saturday evening at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

“To be in the ring with ‘Gallo’—a legend—and to take his belt, it’s amazing,” Rodriguez told DAZN’s Chris Mannix.

This place was where Rodriguez won his first title. It was the WBC 115-pound title that Estrada vacated to earn the title of ‘Franchise’ champion. Rodriguez (20-0, 13 knockouts) had just celebrated his 22nd birthday when he accepted a vacant title fight against former contender Carlos Cuadras on just six days’ notice.

Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) looks to establish his book jab in the opening round of his first fight in nearly 19 months. The two-division champion from Hermosillo, Mexico has not fought since a majority decision win over Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (51-4-1, 41 KOs). Their memorable clash in December 2022 at the Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale was followed by an unacceptable period of inactivity for the 34-year-old.

Rodriguez was prepared for whatever the defensive player had to offer and was a step ahead during many exchanges. A straight left hand from the 24-year-old southpaw caused Estrada to back off. Rodriguez continued to come forward and counter Estrada, who at least landed a left hook.

The first competitor switched to the performance of the show and the main boxing champion.

Rodriguez’s angles and footwork rarely provided a clean target for Estrada. Estrada’s right hands and left hooks beat his opponent’s gloves. Rodriguez landed a left hand, threw and landed another before Estrada had a chance to reset.

The first sign of trouble came late in the third round. Estrada was rocked by Rodriguez about a minute into the third. Rodriguez continued to attack but the longtime RING champion was able to stay upright.

It hasn’t been like that for a long time.

Rodriguez produced the first knockdown of the fight in the fourth. Estrada was frozen in place by an uppercut, after which Rodriguez hit a straight left. Estrada hit the deck but was able to beat the count and get out of the round. His legs were not fully recovered even sitting on a chair between rounds.

Estrada was hurt again midway through the fifth round. Rodriguez drove his old bosses to the ropes and landed a flurry of punches, with direct attacks. Estrada was able to get out of the round but there were concerns about how long he could last.

Never count out a future Hall of Famer.

Estrada breathed new life into a one-sided fight with a right hand early in the sixth round. Rodriguez was out of position for perhaps one time in the war and suffered his first layoff.

It was a welcome sight and a ways to close the show for the rising pound-for-pound star.

Rodriguez commented: “I got punched and the next thing you know, I was down. It was crazy but I always wanted to hear that. I know it’s bad but I want to check myself in times like that.”

Rodriguez passed that test with flying colors.

A brief period of success did not pave the way for sustained change. Estrada remained confident but was quickly taken down as Rodriguez continued to target the body and land from all angles.

Then came the amazing ending.

Rodriguez hit a single throughout the seventh. Estrada often held his breath with gloves whenever he let his hands loose. Meanwhile, Rodriguez went down against his biggest opponent, in his first fight back at 115 in nearly two years.

Estrada drifted to the ropes when he was caught with a left hook to the body. One of Rodriguez forced Estrada to fall to the canvas in pain as referee Chris Flores issued a full ten count.

“Just sharing the ring with them, being in the same picture with them, it’s crazy,” commented Rodriguez, who has won four times and is the RING champion for the first time.

The feeling was with the outgoing champion, who would love nothing more than to do it again.

“I know the mistakes I made there,” Estrada admitted after his first loss in six years. “I’m looking forward to the rematch.”

Estrada was a ranked flyweight before retiring at 115. It took him two tries to become a two-division champion, which he did in an April 2019 points victory over Sor Rungvisai. This game avenged the defeat of Feb. 2018, and was part of an eight-fight winning streak heading into Saturday.

Rodriguez’s previous tour at age 115 was brief—just eight months on the stage, before he retired from the flyweight division. He had already made his mark in the division with a win over Cuadras (42-5-1, 28 KOs), No. 4 at 115, and former RING champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (56-6-1, 46 KOs).

That run was followed by a second period of dominance at flyweight. He concluded his 2023 campaign with a ninth-round stoppage of Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs), No. 2 at 112, unifying the IBF and WBO titles.

Rodriguez is now armed with his first RING/lineal competitor and is ready to add more hardware to his collection. He might get two more shots for the price of one.

“I want the winner of Ioka-Martinez,” emphasized Rodriguez.

The fight he was referring to is the July 7 WBA/IBF clash between Kazuto Ioka (31-2-1, 16 KOs) and Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez (16-0. 9 KOs) in Tokyo.

“[Undisputed] It’s definitely something I’ve seen other fighters do [lately],” Rodriguez swore. “Seeing them with all the belts is something I want.”

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