Juan Francisco Estrada and Jesse Rodriguez (right) flank Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn at Thursday's pre-fight press conference in Phoenix. The two fight for two super flyweight titles Saturday at Footprint Center. Jose M. Romero
Juan Francisco Estrada's (44-4-0, 28 KOs) World Boxing Council (WBC) championship belt now goes to Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (20-0-0, 13 KOs) after seven rounds of dominance. But it was more than belts that were transferred; it was also torches.
On a night that had its memorable moments, the main event truly shined. El Gallo showed glimpses of his masterful self, but they were few and far between. The younger "Bam" Rodriguez lived up to his name, delivering blow after blow but doing so with patience beyond his age. In the end, Rodriguez landed 156 punches to Estrada's 95. The final punch proved too much.
Estrada's last fight came a year and a half ago but the 34-year-old is one of the more proven boxers in the weight class. His 47-bout professional career includes wins in World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship bouts. He's a future Hall of Fame boxer who enjoyed a long buildup to this bout.
Rodriguez says he idolized Estrada as an amateur and that fighting him for a title was an honor. This is Rodriguez's first bout in the super flyweight category since Sept. 17, 2022, when he won the WBC World Super Flyweight title. After that bout, he dropped down to the flyweight category and picked up two world titles in the class from the WBO and International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Now, he's back up to the super flyweight class and its champion.
El Gallo and Bam Rodriguez delivered a great fight. It was indeed one that seemed like the passing of the torch with the 24-year-old dominating the event from the first bell. Here are some of the more memorable moments.
Round 1: This isn't going to be a master-apprentice fight as Rodriguez came out eager to put his mark on the bout early. El Gallo needs to put the younger Rodriguez on his backfoot but instead left himself open for some hard shots.
Round 2: Bam has been the more successful aggressor but, more importantly, is the more elusive of the two. He is showing his deft ability to hit and change angles instantly.
Round 3: El Gallo lost his legs in this round after taking a number of hard shots, including a devasting right hook. Bam is not only punishing the elder Estrada but isn't offering much up as far as a static target.
Round 4: El Gallo, after showing glimpses of deft footwork and high energy, loses out to the more patient Rodriguez whose combination puts Estrada down. El Gallo looks weathered.
Round 5: Bam is getting what he wants now. Where he was willing to wait things out and pick his spots, he's now opted to engage more aggressively.
Round 6: Bam may not be resting on his laurels but he certainly got some time to himself on the canvas after a huge right from El Gallo who sparked the crowd. Like the theme of the night, Bam closed out the round in better shape and seems to have the momentum still.
Round 7: Bam gave Phoenix a constant barrage of power and precision. In the seventh round, the mighty finally fell for good. El Gallo couldn't withstand the onslaught and succumbed with a knockout from a devastating body shot.
Estrada's last fight came in December 2022 for the vacant WBC World Super Flyweight title versus Roman Gonzalez. He won that bout via majority decision.
Estrada hasn't lost a bout since a majority decision on Feb. 24, 2018. Since then, he's won eight consecutive bouts, including two by knockout.
Rodriguez is one of the top fighters in the world. BoxRec puts him No. 21 in its pound-for-pound rankings ahead of this fight and The Ring rates him as the best Flyweight fighter in the world.
His last bout was Dec. 16, 2023 against previously undefeated flyweight contender Sunny Edwards. He earned a round nine win via corner stoppage.
That was his second bout of 2023. Before that match, he fought Christian Gonzalez Hernandez in April for the vacant WBO World Flyweight belt. He won that fight by unanimous decision.
Round 1: Edwards was far more active and landed more hits to set the tone early on.
Round 2: Curiel and Edwards tangled multiple times in the first minute. Curiel was defensive for most of the round but Edwards landed multiple jabs to the head and midsection. Edwards started dancing in the final 20 seconds of the match while backpedaling away from Curiel.
Round 3: Curiel failed to land more than one or two hits in the first minute. Edwards dodged or blocked the rest. Edwards pushed Curiel down for a moment but he was able to bounce right back up. Curiel grew frustrated over the second half of the round as Edwards continually landed punches to his head and body.
Round 4: Edwards continued his control of the bout before Curiel finally landed a few aggressive hits to his body. Again, Edwards spent the waning seconds of the round taunting while Curiel stood in the middle of the ring, waiting for him to engage.
Round 5: Curiel was more aggressive than in Round 4 but Edwards dodged many of his attempts. A quick flurry of jabs put Edwards in control through the second half of the round.
Round 6: Curiel again came out with more energy than the end of Round 5 but Edwards continued to dodge his hits and land counter punches. The round had to pause briefly inside the final minute due to a huge cut above Edwards' eyebrow. Still, Edwards remained in control.
Round 7: With Edwards' cut, Curiel went on the offensive to take advantage early on. Edwards remained steady in his movement and combinations to stay in control of the fight.
Round 8: Edwards' cut continued to bleed profusely and his corner was calling for a doctor to look. The fighters went through the round with Edwards continuing to hold control.
Round 9: The ringside doctor examined Edwards' cut and decided to end the fight. Edwards wanted to continue fighting but the doctor decided to end it.
Winner: Edwards by unanimous technical decision (90-82, 88-84, 87-85).
Cardenas was on the right side of a somewhat befuddling scorecard. Still, there is no arguing that Arturo Cardenas dominated a wealth of the middle of this fight.
Round 1: Barrios seems to be fighting with a level of comfort in his hometown. It was a first-round marked by both fighters feeling out the other. It was fairly sleepy of a round.
Round 2: Barrios landed a big left with about 10 seconds left in the round. Both fighters opened up the playbook a bit with Barrios getting his left going. Cardenas had some solid combinations to start the round.
Round 3: The question is whether Cardenas is going to make good on some of his power punches, which aren't landing yet. Barrios, however, is chopping down his opponent little by little.
Round 4: Elusive. If there is one word to describe Barrios, it would be elusive. Cardenas has had a hard time fighting a shrinking target.
Round 5: Cardenas brought out the big guns and finally had them land at the nadir of the round. It's clear Cardenas got the memo that he needed to get in on the scoring.
Round 6: Cardenas took this round. Barrios felt a right with two minutes left in the round and then took a right uppercut moments later. Cardenas got this bigger blows to land and you have to wonder about Barrios' legs.
Round 7: Barrios is a much bigger target than he was a couple of rounds ago. A nice combo from Cardenas stunned the hometown hero who is losing his legs as the fight lengthens.
Round 8: Patience looks good on Cardenas. A bout that looked to be Barrios' has completely flipped the script. Cardenas has dominated since the sixth round.
Round 9: The local kid may have saved just enough to close this out. Both fighters look like they are equipped for what should be a remarkable finish, save some theatrics to end the round.
Round 10: Barrios woke back up to close out the fight. He took the final round by doing what he did in the initial throes, picking his spots and landing the more effective punches.
Winner: Arturo Cardenas by majority decision (95-95, 97-93, 96-94)
Round 1: A back-and-forth opening round ended with a flurry of jabs that connected by Muratalla.
Round 2: Fontes was on the attack early on and landed many more punches than Muratalla. In the final minute, Muratalla fought back more and landed a few jabs.
Round 3: Fontes started out stronger before Muratalla fired off a combination around the one-minute mark. Muratalla took advantage of Fontes' elbow dropping to land multiple strong shots to the head. Muratalla was in control more than in the prior two rounds.
Round 4: Muratalla caught Fontes with a right jab multiple times and looks to be in a good rhythm with counter punches at good times. Fontes is responding but his accuracy is dropping and fatigue seems to be setting in.
Round 5: Fontes is ramping up the pressure after two strong rounds by Muratalla. That was short-lived though as Fontes slowed down and Muratalla landed multiple heavy hits in the final minute.
Round 6: Muratalla continued his mix of strong defense and timely jabs. Fontes dodged a few but not enough to make a big difference as Muratalla looks in control of this bout.
Round 7: Fontes again came out swinging hard and often to make up for the deficit but Muratalla countered his attacks well and landed multiple heavy shots in response.
Round 8: Muratalla's combinations land early and often. Fontes' defense improved compared to prior rounds but not enough to avoid multiple big hits.
Winner: Muratalla by unanimous decision (79-73, 78-74, 77-75).
Estrada is set to make more from the fight at $1 million to Rodriguez's $500,000 and has a higher pay-per-view share at 60% to Rodriguez's 40%. Total payouts are up to $3 million for Estrada and $1.2 million for Rodriguez.
Round 1: Rojo earned an early-round knockdown but Gonzalez was quick to get up. Rojo showed off the power throughout the round and landed multiple power shots.
Round 2: Rojo knocked Gonzalez down twice and the referee called the bout before the end of the second round.
Round 4: Rubalcava landing lots of powerful punches before Flenoy responded with a couple of strong left hooks. Rubalcava closed the round with multiple shots to Flenoy's body.
Round 5: Rubalcava controlled much of the round before Flenoy caught him with a nice combination to close the round. Flenoy's experience is coming in handy late in the round.
Round 6: Rubalcava continued to connect with his left jab thanks to his longer reach. Flenoy finished well but Rubalcava was too strong throughout the round and the bout.
Winner: Leonardo Rubalcava by unanimous decision (60-54, 59-55, 59-55).
Estrada vs. Bam Rodriguez: TV, Time, streaming and how to watch
Date: Saturday, June 29, 2024
Time: 8 p.m. ET; main event ringwalks set for approximately 11 p.m. ET
TV: N/A
Streaming : DAZN
Pay-per-view options:
DAZN monthly subscripton: $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month in U.S.
Tom Gray writes: "I foresee Estrada boxing and moving and he’ll build a lead early. However, the younger man will be applying plenty of pressure and looking to drain his opponent’s resources. The fight will have changed by round five and the champion will be out-punched in most of the exchanges... It's beyond unusual for me to pick against Estrada, particularly by stoppage, but I think the 19-month layoff will come back to haunt him here."
Bryan Fonseca says: "Rodriguez is younger, more active and overall just better right now. It's more likely than not that Bam will regain a title at super flyweight against the older, less active Estrada.... Estrada hasn't been stopped, and while Rodriguez is a great volume puncher – so is his opponent. Estrada has six stoppage wins in 13 title fights. Bam has two in five title fights."
Danny Howard writes: "Though Estrada can't make up a nine-year age differential or revitalize himself after 47 professional fights, he can gut this out and make things very tough for Rodriguez... Rodriguez will have to earn every punch, and Estrada has years of experience and tricks he can utilize to stay competitive and potentially threaten the outcome."
Estrada debuted on Aug. 30, 2008 in a bout with Sergio Chavez in Hermosillo, Mexico. Since then, he's built a 44-3-0 record with 28 KOs. He won the WBC World Super Fly belt in 2019 with a unanimous decision win over Wisaksil Wangek.
Rodriguez made his debut on March 10, 2017 in a match against Mauricio Cruz. He's yet to lose a professional fight since then and enters Saturday's fight with a 19-0-0 record (12 KOs). In April 2023, he won the vacant WBO World Flyweight belt.
Estrada and Rodriguez are the main event on tonight's card. There will be six bouts ahead of their main event match.
Yamileth Mercado (23-3-0, 5 KOs) vs. Ramla Ali (9-1-0, 2 KOs)
Sunny Edwards (20-1-0, 4 KOs) vs. Adrian Curiel (24-5-1, 5 KOs)
Arturo Cardenas (13-0-1, 8 KOs) vs. Danny Barrios (15-0-0, 5 KOs)
Fabian Rojo (8-0-0, 6 KOs) vs. Daniel Gonzalez (5-1-0, 2 KOs)
Gabriel Muratella (11-0-0, 6 KOs) vs. Carlos Fontes (23-3-1, 19 KOs)
Leonardo Rubalcava (7-0-0, 3 KOs) vs. William Flenoy (3-3-1, 1 KO)
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0