Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is easily one of the most elite pound-for-pound operators in boxing; and yet, seemingly, he is still awaiting his first acid test.
The 24-year-old is already a two-division world champion, with many believing that, similarly to legendary fighter like Manny Pacquiao, he has ample potential to fly through the weights.
In order to secure the mega fights, though, Bam must first defend his WBC world super flyweight title against mandatory challenger Pedro Guevara this Saturday.
But, after he features on a double header with fellow rising star Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, the possibilities for Rodriguez would appear to be endless.
- Read More [Who is Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez? Step into the life of one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world]
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez expected his tests against Juan Francisco Estrada and Sunny Edwards to be tougher
Bam’s last two victories – against Sunny Edwards and Juan Francisco Estrada – are widely thought to be two of his most impressive performances.
His flyweight unification with Edwards, for instance, was considered by many to be a 50-50 matchup with the Brit having branded himself as an impossible southpaw puzzle, always putting his boxing brain to good use.
And yet, Rodriguez was able to not only solve the puzzle but rubber stamp his comprehensive performance with a scintillating eighth-round finish.
Against Estrada, too, the unbeaten puncher’s aggression proved too much for the seasoned legend, who ultimately faltered under his opponent’s relentless pressure in the seventh round.
And so, Bam now reflects on his two toughest fights with a vastly different perspective.
“Honestly, I really expected it to be a tougher fight, skill-wise,” Rodriguez told Boxing News.
“Estrada, he was a champion at 115 for many years, Ring champion for many years as well. So, I was expecting a very technical fight, but it turned into a firefight after about like the third round.
“With [the Edwards fight] as well, I really expected it to be a lot tougher. He was a master boxer coming into that fight. So, I really expected him to dance around a lot more. But I feel like my pressure got to him as well.”
Eddie Hearn puts Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in his top five pound-for-pound list
Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn has now revealed his top five pound-for-pound rankings, which includes two fighters from his own stable.
The top three is, unsurprisingly, made up of Oleksandr Usyk, Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue – the consensus three kings of this era.
In at number four, however, is none other than Bam, with Dmitry Bivol also making the list despite losing a contentious decision to Artur Beterbiev last month.
And so, with Bam already making Hearn’s coveted list, it is incredible to think that, at least from his perspective, he is yet to be properly tested.