Via Jeff Sorby: Carlos Cuadras expects his head to head showdown against Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez to be an end-to-end fight on Saturday night as the two of them vie for the vacant WBC super flyweight title on DAZNat the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
33-year-old Cuadras (39-4, 27 KOs) was originally scheduled to face former WBC 115-lb champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai for the vacated super title but he withdrew due to illness.
Fortunately, 22-year-old ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is ready to step up and fight, but that could be bad for Cuadras as he is a much different type of opponent than heavyweight Rungvisai.
This is an uphill fight for Cuadras, as he is no longer in his prime and has been really struggling since losing a unanimous decision in the 12th round to Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. in 2016.
On Friday, an arid-looking Cuadras weighed 114.4 lbs and looked terrible. Rodriguez looks a lot better at 114.1 lbs, which is not surprising since he is gaining weight from flying weight class.
This is not the youthful Cuadras many boxing fans remember from his fights with Chocolatito, Rungvisai, Juan Francisco Estrada and Koki Eto. Back then, Cuadras looked very healthy, but today, he looks emaciated.
Cuadras lost to Estrada in his final match in the 11th knockout round in October 2020, and he should probably readjust instead of jumping into a title fight.
Cuadras says it will be a “war”
“I believe this will be an uphill battle from start to finish,‘ Cuadras said to Boxing in the match in his clash with ‘Bam’ Rodriguez on Saturday night.
“It will be a war from the start. I will always be the one in charge,” Cuadras said. “I wanted to be in command from the very beginning so he knew that I would be the winner of the war.
Watershed moment for Cuadras
“I still have good movement in my legs, but now I am more stable. So I don’t jump much when it’s time to throw punches. I can throw fast, move myself and throw with power.
“My next fight will be my watershed moment in my career,” Cuadras said, hinting that he might hang up his gloves if he loses.
“Either I will rise to the elite boxing level again or my career will start going downhill. I felt it was a watershed moment. That’s why I’m preparing at 100%. I think I can still be at the elite boxing level in three or four years but at 100%.
“It is an honor for me to become Mexico’s first world champion in 2022, as I can’t wait to get back in the ring.
“In 2021, I am not stepping into the ring for one reason or another because of the pandemic or my opponents. But I can’t wait to get back in the ring.
“It will be a great honor for me to give Mexico its first world championship in 2022. I have been watching boxing since I was a kid. I have an uncle who is a boxer. My father canned it as a hobby. He’s always liked boxing.
“I fought a lot in high school. I was a boxer until I decided to go to the gym with my dad, and that’s when I really started to like it.
“I haven’t let boxing go since then. It has become a part of my life. I like boxing more than I learned. That’s when I joined the Mexican team and represented Mexico in many tournaments.
“Then I decided that boxing would become my life,” Cuadras said.
Complete Weights for Cuadras – Rodriguez:
- Carlos Cuadras 114.4 vs Jesse Rodriguez 114.1
- Jamie Mitchell 117.2 vs Carly Skelly 116.2
- Raymond Ford 126 vs Edward Vazquez 125.9
- Lorenzo Smith 111.5 vs Fernando Diaz 111
- Khalil Coe 179.5 vs Dylan O’Sullivan 177.9
- Elijah Garcia 163.5 vs Antonio Hernandez 162.5
- Adam Stewart 234 vs Alvin Davis 223.9
- Aaron Aponte 139 vs Louis Jourdain 138.8
