Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez grinned the moment he hit the deck, feeling a surge of motivation that drove him to finish what he started. Early in the sixth round, Rodriguez faced a brief taste of adversity but swiftly overcame it to claim victory over Juan Francisco Estrada, winning the RING and WBC 115-pound championship. A devastating left hand to the body forced Estrada to the canvas, where he was counted out at the end of the seventh round on Saturday evening at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
“To be in the ring with ‘Gallo’—a legend—and to take his belt, is just incredible,” Rodriguez shared with DAZN’s Chris Mannix.
This venue marked Rodriguez’s first title win, which coincidentally was the WBC 115-pound title that Estrada had previously relinquished for the sanctioning body's 'Franchise' champion designation. Rodriguez (20-0, 13 knockouts), who had just turned 22, initially claimed the vacant title after defeating former titlist Carlos Cuadras on only six days' notice. Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs), aiming to re-establish his renowned jab, was fighting for the first time in nearly 19 months since his majority decision win over Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (51-4-1, 41 KOs) in their memorable December 2022 trilogy clash.
Rodriguez, prepared for anything the defending champ had to offer, was a step ahead during most exchanges. A straight left hand from the 24-year-old southpaw briefly forced Estrada to back up. Rodriguez continued to press forward, countering Estrada’s attempts with precision, despite Estrada managing a check left hook.
The fight transitioned from a competitive start to a showcase of Rodriguez's talent. His superior angles and footwork left Estrada struggling to land clean shots, often hitting gloves instead. Rodriguez’s relentless offense began to wear Estrada down, signaled by a rocking shot in the third round. Despite remaining upright, Estrada was visibly shaken.
In the fourth round, Rodriguez delivered the first knockdown, freezing Estrada with an uppercut followed by a straight left. Estrada barely managed to beat the count and survive the round. He was hurt again in the fifth, driven into the ropes by Rodriguez's disciplined attack, raising concerns about his endurance.
Never count out a future Hall of Famer. Estrada showed resilience with a right hand at the start of the sixth round, causing Rodriguez to hit the deck for the first time in his career. Rodriguez welcomed this challenge, using it as motivation to close the fight decisively.
“I got dropped for the first time, that was crazy,” Rodriguez reflected. “I got caught with a punch and next thing you know, I was on the floor. It was crazy but I always wanted to experience that. I know it’s bad but I want to test myself in times like that.”
Rodriguez passed the test with flying colors. Despite Estrada’s brief success, Rodriguez quickly regained control, targeting the body and landing from all angles. The end came in the seventh round with a combination that sent Estrada to the ropes, culminating in a digging left to the body that ended the fight.
“Just to share the ring with them, being on the same poster with them, it’s just crazy,” Rodriguez, now a four-time titlist and first-time RING champion, remarked.
Estrada, acknowledging his mistakes, expressed a desire for a rematch. Estrada had been a unified titlist at flyweight and achieved success at 115 pounds, part of an eight-fight win streak before this defeat.
Rodriguez's brief tenure at 115 pounds was marked by significant victories, including over Cuadras and former RING champ Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. After a successful campaign at flyweight, culminating in unifying the IBF and WBO titles, Rodriguez now holds his first RING/lineal championship and is eager to continue adding to his legacy.
“I want the winner of Ioka-Martinez,” Rodriguez declared, referring to the upcoming July 7 WBA/IBF unification clash between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez in Tokyo. “Undisputed is definitely something I’ve seen other fighters do [lately],” Rodriguez vowed. “To see them with all the belts is something that I want.”