This Saturday night, live from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Jesse Rodriguez takes on Sunny Edwards, streaming live on DAZN.
This unification bout will help as a separator of sorts in the flyweight division. This main event is a tantalizing clash of slick styles, with Bam being the aggressor yet fully capable of boxing at range and Sunny looking to score points on the move and counter. Saturday’s headliner is another addition to DAZN’s impressive fall close to the boxing year 2023.
In early 2022, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez made a gigantic splash on the boxing scene by defeating Carlos Caudras by unanimous decision. It was a clear victory as Bam even knocked down Carlos in the third round. Bam built on that momentum by stopping Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the 8th round, once again dropping his opponent this time in the seventh. In his next outing, it was bound to be a difficult task of topping those two victories in a sport that centers around what have you done for me lately mentality.
Two pretty good but not overly impressive bouts against Israel Gonzalez and Cristian Gonzalez followed. After his fight with Israel, Jesse thought his body needed a rest, having fought 3 times in just over 7 months. In April, Cristian showed a possible path to victory for Sunny as Gonzalez did a great job of using lateral movement, limiting Rodriquez’s ability to close the gap. Surely, Sunny Edwards has scouted the tape and will look to use movement and an active jab.
Sunny Edwards is 20-0 as a pro boxer with a parsley of four stoppages on his resume. Beyond lack of punching power, Sunny does have some fancy footwork and the ability to land flush on the outside. For the most part, Sunny doesn’t panic when trapped on the ropes, and he will need to stay calm when in that position on Saturday night. The jab will be a key to piling up punches and also keep Bam from unloading rapid-fire combinations. Jabbing to the body and through Rodriguez’s high guard will help set up flush potshots.
Sunny is quick-footed and a solid defender, so it will take some rounds for Bam to find his footing in this matchup. When Bam is coming forward in a high guard, Sunny will look to counter while moving laterally. Speaking of counterpunching, Bam has a tendency to reach with his jab and punches overall in aggressor mode. At some point, Bam will be able to catch up with Sunny who will likely be on his bike for long durations. That’s when will see just how talented of a defender Edwards is in that position.
Bam has a good jab as well, especially at range, and his work rate will be something the judges will likely be keen on. When Bam closes the gap, it’s a nightmare offensively and defensively to deal with for foes. Using those Lomachenko-esque angles, as he swiftly moves from one side to the other, always in range to deliver fluid combos and avoid the incoming. Cutting off the ring is something I’m sure Bam and his team worked on, but it was clear recently he had issues with competent lateral movement.
Issues-wise, Sunny had plenty of them versus Felix Alvarado in what turned out to be a rougher-than-normal tussle. That said, how much can Bam emulate Alvarado’s blueprint? This will be a back-and-forth affair, and it’s this boxing podcaster’s belief you will see lots of debate on boxing twitter post-fight. Sunny will take the opening rounds as Bam adjusts to the slickness and footwork of Edwards. Rodriguez in the middle of the ring, along with up close and personal, will have the advantage.
Bam will land the more telling punches mixed with long stretches of throwing more than one or two punches at a time. This boxing junkie is not fully sold. Sunny’s jab and pot shots or counters will be enough to sway the official scorecards. 7-5 or a draw for either guy won’t be a surprise, and taking a healthy flyer out on Sunny as a +160 and up is a smart decision as long as you back it up. In the end, Bam will overcome his toughest test to date.
My Official Prediction is Bam Rodriguez by Majority Decision.
Side Note: Showtime’s last hurrah features David Morrell Jr. in the main event against Sena Agbeko. The most interesting bout on the SHO card is a rematch between Chris Colbert and Jose Valenzuela.
Written by Chris Carlson, Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio