Bam Rodriguez Makes Boxing History with First Knockout of Estrada, Catapulting to Stardom
Spectacular victory of the American against the Mexican, which Rodriguez closed with a tremendous KO in the seventh round
We talk a lot lately about who is the face of boxing. Usyk, Canelo, Gervonta Davis, Terence Crawford, Inoue? Also note the name of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
Watching this boxer of only 24 years old is a spectacle. The American defeated Mexican Juan Francisco ‘El Gallo’ Estrada by KO in the seventh round, handing him his first defeat by chloroform and snatching the World Boxing Council (WBC) super flyweight title.
‘Bam‘ went through Phoenix like a tornado and showed an overwhelming superiority over ‘El Gallo’, 34 years old, and one of the great boxing bantamweights of the last decade. Some will blame it on Estrada‘s year and a half of inactivity, and it may have weighed on him, but the change of cycle is more than evident… A great performance by Rodriguez to establish himself as one of the most spectacular boxers of the moment.
Of course, at the time of the stoppage, each judge gave a different result: the Mexican, 57-56 for Estrada; the American, 54-58 for ‘Bam‘; and the Canadian, a draw at 56.
From the beginning of the fight it was possible to appreciate a much faster Rodriguez who was going to be difficult for the champion to catch. In the third round the young challenger clearly felt that he was hurting and dominating his opponent. The American brought out his entire repertoire, impossible for ‘El Gallo’ to counter. Jab, hooks to the body, an uppercut that left the Mexican touched? Unstoppable!
In the last minute of the fourth round ‘Bam‘ opened his opponent’s guard with a tremendous left uppercut followed by a combination that sent the veteran to the canvas. On the restart there was another knock down and the bell was a savior. More punishment, but at Rodriguez‘s most confident moment, in the sixth round, Estrada surprised him.
Although the American barely touched the mat, there was a count. From that moment on, perhaps angry, ‘Bam‘ was a cyclone. Just before the end of the seventh, a left to the body broke the champion, who did not get up.
