Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs) has vacated his WBC super flyweight title to move down in weight to the 112-lb division to go after world titles in that weight class.
It’s a predictable move for the 22-year-old ‘Bam’ Rodriguez because had he held onto the WBC 115-lb title, he’d have had to defend it against Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, who would have been his worst nightmare.
Even at 35, Chocolatiito is on another level than Bam Rodriguez and a different-level fighter. Although Bam is a good fighter, he’s not that type of talent.
We saw that plain as day with the way Rodriguez struggled badly in his last fight against Israel Gonzalez, barely beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision last September.
“The WBC has been officially informed by our undefeated champion in the super flyweight division Jesse Rodríguez of his decision to vacate his Green and Gold Belt, in order to move down and compete in a lighter weight category,” said the WBC.
When Bam Rodriguez moves down to flyweight, he says he wants to challenge IBF champion Sunny Edwards and WBC champ Julio ‘Rey’ Martinez for their titles. Those are both winnable fights for Bam.
Earlier this year, Rodriguez defeated former WBC super flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras by a 12 round unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBC 115-lb belt.
In Bam’s first defense, he stopped former two-time WBC super flyweight, Ring Magainze and lineal champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
After that win, some boxing fans felt that Bam was on par with Chocolatito and Juan Franciso Estrada, but that thought was erased after the way he struggled to beat Israel Gonzalez last September.
If Bam Rodriguez stays at 112 for a couple of years, Estrada and Chocolatito might age enough for him to have a shot at beating them both. Right now, it would be a bad idea for Bam to go anywhere near either of them.
“I want to move down to 112 and get a title there and let my body grow into whatever weight class after that,” said Rodriguez to Fightnews.
“Before I get too old and it becomes too hard to make weight, I want to get it out of the way. I want to become a two-time world champion.
“Sunny Ewards and Rey Martinez are two fights I’m very interested in [at 112], and hopefully, we can make that happen down the line,” said Martinez.
