Fight fans, especially fans of the lower weight classes, of the little giants, will in all likelihood be treated to a special fight tomorrow, as rival flyweight champs Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards put it all on the line in a unification showdown in Glendale, Arizona.
A potentially classic boxer Vs. Puncher affair, this fight is seen by plenty of good judges as not only a fight that is all that’s good about modern-day boxing – the best against the best, no fuss, no crazy pre-fight demands but also as a fight that will test both men hard.
Bam is the banger of the two, yet he can also box. Edwards is the pure boxer of the two, yet he has, in the entertaining build-up show, been saying we shouldn’t be all that surprised if he gets a stoppage win; this is pretty big talk from a guy who has registered just four stoppages wins in compiling his 20-0 pro record.
But in terms of big talk, 23-year-old Rodriguez, 18-0(11), has been bolder than bold in speaking ahead of Saturday’s fight. No, trash-talking is not Bam’s thing – but a plan to make boxing history sure is.
Speaking with Ringtv ahead of the fight with IBF champ Edwards, WBO ruler Rodriguez says his goal, aside from winning on Saturday, is to go on to win world titles at an impressive six weights. Bam, who made his breakthrough up at 115 pounds – brilliant wins over Carlos Cuadras, Srisaket sor Rungvisai, and Israel Gonzalez – has said the Edwards fight will be his last at 112 pounds, that he will then go back up to 115. And then beyond.
“I can’t wait to get in the ring with him,” Bam said of Sunny. “These are the kind of fights boxing needs – the best versus the best. We’re both young, undefeated, and hungry. I’m only 23. I have a lot more growing to do. It’s just a matter of time before I see what weight class I really end up in. I can’t wait. The future is bright.”
But wait, could Bam be making the fatal mistake of overlooking his latest dance partner? 27-year-old Edwards, a genuinely slick operator, says he will “make Rodriguez look silly” when they share a ring. Londoner Edwards sure has some silky moves, and one of the old adages in boxing is that “the puncher never beats the boxer.”
But again, the fact here is that Bam is no slouch as a boxer. It really should be a fascinating fight when the action gets underway in Glendale.
If – and some may say it is an if – Bam wins, can he then join the great lower-weight fighters who managed to win multiple world titles? Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire, Roman Gonzalez, and the current lower-weight sensation, Naoya Inoue.
The latest lower weight sensation? Maybe that’s Bam Rodriguez. Bam says he will KO Edwards on Saturday, and maybe he will. And if he does so, the sky will be the limit as far as what comes after for the southpaw from San Antonio.
Pick: Bam will halt Edwards with a body shot somewhere around the eighth round.
