Via Craig Daly: Match promoter Eddie Hearn was on the moon in joy Saturday night, watching Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs) successfully defend his WBC super flyweight title with a knockout victory directly in the 1/8 round before the No. 2 candidate Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
After the match, Hearn said he would favor Bam Rodriguez defeating legends Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada, which is a huge compliment to the young boxer.
It’s great that Rodriguez has stopped two-time WBC super flyweight champion Rungvisai, but doing the same with the likes of Chocolatito & Estrada is completely different.
The way Bam Rodriguez overpowered an aging-looking Rungvisai tonight might not work for Chocolatito & Estrada.
When Hearn was asked if he could set up a fight for Bam Rodriguez against either of those legends, he started stammering, making it clear that it might not be possible.
It wouldn’t be a good idea if 22-year-old Bam Rodriguez’s growth was halted by throwing him to the sharks, Chocolatito & Estrada. To be fair, it would be crazy if Hearn brought Bam in with those two fighters.
Hearn always made the mistake of pairing his famous young boxer Julio Cesar Martinez with Chocolatito last February, and he was completely dominated by the Nicaraguan star.
It would be the same but perhaps even easier for Roman if Hearn compared him to Bam Rodriguez since he doesn’t have any authority to speak of, and it would be an understatement.
Bam wins skirmishes using corners, dashes, throws, and tying his opponents. That style wouldn’t suit Chocolatito or Estrada. They’ve seen that simple style many times in their careers, and they know how to beat that approach.
Bam Rodriguez stopped Rungvisai (50-6-1, 43 KOs) in the eighth round after opening with a long shot at Tech Port Arena in San Antonio, Texas.
“This is the youngest champion in boxing and could have been a very cool guy,” Eddie Hearn told DAZN shortly after Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez’s eighth-round knockout win over the former world champion. super fly twice WBA Srisaket Sor Rungvisai .
“Honestly, from 108 pounds to 115 pounds, I don’t think I’d go up against any boxer to beat him, and I’m talking about some greats,” Hearn continued. “Chocolatito, Estrada, these feel like they’ve come a long way, but honestly, wShould you now make those your favorite targets when going up against Bam Rodriguez? “
If Hearn wanted to test his theory on how Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez beat Chocolatito & Estrada, he could always set up those fights. Both of those boxers will be willing to fight the green Bam Rodriguez if Hearn wants a good offer for them.
It probably shouldn’t be for Hearn to leave Chocolatito & Estrada anywhere near Bam Rodriguez, because, unlike Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras, they don’t get shot to pieces.
Those two stars are still fighting at a high level in their careers, and like I said, Bam Rodriguez doesn’t have the strength, speed or technique to beat those talents.
If Hearn waited 3 to 5 years for Chocolatito & Estrada to age, Bam Rodriguez could beat them by then.
It is difficult to say whether Bam will remain a main player at the age of 112 or 115 at the time. He might not even fight in those weight classes.
After Bam’s win over Cuadras, he is said to have gained a lot of weight, which he had to give up for this fight. Bam will likely grow out of the 115 lb division within a year or two, which would put him in 118th where he could challenge Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue for his titles.
BAM RODRIGUEZ END THE MATCH 💥#RodriguezRungvisai pic.twitter.com/r9W7qJcHX2
– DAZN boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 26, 2022
“He could be down to 108, down to 112. But there’s literally not a boxer that I can put against Robert Garcia and Jesse Rodriguez that they wouldn’t accept a head-to-head challenge,” Hearn said.
No one in 108 or 112 is worth fighting for, so it makes no sense for Bam Rodriguez to return to those weight classes. Rey Martinez was unmasked by Chocolatito, so Bam Rodriguez got nothing out of fighting him.
“He’s here to be great. He is here for the legacy and here to be remembered,” Hearn said. “Like I said, these boxers come out once in a generation at this age. He’s a special, special talent,” Hearn said of Bam Rodriguez.
“So you worked with Chocolatito, you worked with Juan Francisco Estrada. Can we catch him in those battles? ” Chris Mannix said when putting Hearn on whether he could produce Chocolatito & Estrada fights for Bam Rodriguez.
“Well, it’s all about the speed they want,” Hearn said. “With a fighter like this, you usually take your time and let them get experience, you’ll drop to 108, you’ll drop to 112.
“But to be honest, I don’t see Estrada beating Jesse Rodriguez. Chocolatito is a legend of the sport, but it belongs to Robert and Jesse.
“At 112, he can unify and he can do it at 115, and he can do it at 108. This boy can do whatever he wants to do. and has a long, long career ahead. He is a very young guy, but all the ability to become a weight. The skills are incredible, the stab is unbelievable.
“Robert and the team have done an incredible job. He is very happy to work with. Great to be here tonight. This city will see the big battles of Jesse Rodriguez in the future,” Hearn said.
“Are you going to bring him back here?” Mannix said he wants to know if Hearn will bring Bam Rodriguez back to San Antonio, Texas.
“Sure, this is the first time,” Hearn said. “He is a child, he is still learning. It was a lovely vote tonight. We will keep getting bigger, bigger and keep building.
The great thing is, when you’re promoting a special fighter like Jesse, you can go into all these big fights knowing you’ve got the crop in place,” Hearn said.
