Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez put on what was both a stunning and mightily impressive performance last night, this in stopping the accomplished Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the eighth round to retain his WBC super-flyweight title. What was seen as a pick ’em fight turned into the “Bam” Rodriguez show, as the 22 year old dropped his fellow southpaw in round seven and then finished the Thai in the next session. Now 16-0(11), Rodriguez was sensational and big, big things are expected of him.
Rungvisai, who is 35 years of age and faces a long rebuild, is now 50-6-1(43). It will be interesting seeing what he does next.
As for Rodriguez, well, superstardom seemingly awaits him. Eddie Hearn showered his fighter with all manner of praise after last night’s sizzling show. “This is the youngest champ in boxing and he already might be a pound-for-pound great,” Hearn said of Rodriguez. “He’s here for legacy; he’s here to be remembered. We live in a world of hype, it’s hard not to get too excited. From 108 to 115 pounds, I don’t think I’d back any fighter to beat him. I’m talking about some of the greats, Chocolatito, Estrada…..honestly, would you put those guys as a favourite against Bam Rodriguez? He can go down to 108, to 112, but there is not one fighter that if I put to Robert Garcia, they wouldn’t accept the challenge. He’s here for greatness.”
There are indeed some potentially great, indeed mouth-watering fights Rodriguez could feature in over the coming months and maybe we do have a brand new pound-for-pound star to rank. Rodriguez has been a pro for a little over five years yet he has achieved a lot already. “Bam” won the WBC super-flyweight title in February, when he decisioned Carlos Cuadras, and last night saw him make his first defence. And what a maiden title defence it turned out to be for the man from San Antonio!
At just 22 years of age, how much more can Rodriguez go on to accomplish?
