1. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs Juan Fransisco Estrada (Crown Duel: Estrada vs Bam)
Who is currently the best American boxer?
Right now, the consensus is clear: Terence “Bud” Crawford. The former two-time undisputed champion is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. But, at 36 years old, he will not be around forever. So, who will claim the throne in his absence? It very well could be one-half of this weekend’s main event; the 24-year-old, two-weight world champion from San Antonio, Texas, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. Yet this weekend presents by far the toughest challenge of Rodriguez’ career. Rodriguez makes his return to the super flyweight division to face one, if not the best, of the highly regarded ‘Four Kings of Super Flyweight’ in Juan Francisco Estrada.
This fight has “blockbuster” written all over it. One of the absolute best fights on the calendar this year, in any sport, and it is not even a pay-per-view. For all those frustrated boxing fans who are clamoring for Canelo vs Benavidez; this fight is exactly along those same lines. This is our era’s Chavez vs. De La Hoya. Will it go the same way? Rodriguez seems to do best when the stakes are the highest, he has proved that these past two years, but Estrada is a genuinely great champion, who should not be underestimated despite a ten-year age gap. Both men are looking to make a statement, and given their performances in the past, this very well could be the fight of the year in a fun-fast paced war of attrition that is must-watch TV.
Rodriguez made his presence known to the boxing public in 2022, when he moved up a weight class on short notice to challenge one of the aforementioned ‘Four Kings,’ Carlos Cuadras, for the vacant WBC 115-lb title. Cuadras was originally scheduled to fight another king, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and could never have predicted that his new opponent would turn out to be shockingly far better than the Thai boxing legend.
Rodriguez dominated Cuadras, using angles that made onlookers reminisce about prime Lomachenko. Rodriguez’s third round knockdown emerged as a highlight to propel his career. However, Rungvisai was still entitled to a title shot, and just 4 months later ‘Bam’ was facing another King. Rodriguez dominated once more, this time stopping the ‘Rat King’ in the eighth.
Since his battles with two of the four kings, Bam has not had an easy out. A close fight with Israel Gonzalez and a gritty affair with Cristian Hernandez were not awe-inspiring. But this past December, “Bam” faced the 20-0 IBF World Champion, Sunny Edwards in a unification at flyweight. Once again appearing under the bright lights, ‘Bam’ dominated. The San Antonio native broke down his foe until the ninth round when Edwards could no longer remain in the fight.
Despite beating those legends, there is no doubt that ‘El Gallo’ will be best opponent that ‘Bam’ has faced; he may very well be the only fighter who can put a dent in the record of the surging American phenom. Estrada is an extremely decorated champion and has faced a “who’s who” at flyweight and other surrounding weight classes, including holding at least one win over each of the other four kings. Cuadras, Rungvisai, and most notable, his pair of wins over Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in their trilogy.
Estrada’s record of 44-3 holds incomparable experience when contrasted to the young American challenger who sits at just 19-0. All of Estrada’s losses are by decision, and he shares a feat with the great Lennox Lewis — he later avenged each of those defeats. Estrada’s legacy will most be defined by the 36 rounds shared with all-time great ‘Chocolatito’ in their trilogy, in particular the second fight, an all-time classic which would top ‘Fight of the Year’ conversations in any year in the sport’s history. As boxing fans, we have every right to hope that this weekend produces a fight in that same echelon.
