Bam Rodriguez Ends Fight With Juan Francisco Estrada with a thunderous left to the body

Written by: Sean Crose

The WBC junior bantamweight belt was on the line Saturday night in Phoenix as 44-3 defending champion Juan Francisco Estrada slipped between the ropes against 19-0 undefeated Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. The highly anticipated fight was scheduled for 12 championship rounds. The crowd was electric from the opening bell. Both men began to measure each other. As the chapter progressed, however, Rodriguez was able to keep up with the defending champion. Estrada, on the other hand, held the challenge hard as Rodriguez entered.

Things remained tight in the second, but Estrada was able to find his mark on several occasions. Rodriguez tagged the champion with a blazing right hook in the third. Estrada survived, but Rodriguez, fighting behind a southpaw jab with high feet, dominated his man. A brutal left field put the champion in fourth place. Estrada got to his feet, but the man was in deep trouble. He actually slipped to the mat before the bell to close the round.

Perhaps surprisingly, Estrada retired the talented player in the fifth. Still, Rodriguez was able to rock Estrada multiple times, rocking Estrada, eventually begging the question of how much Estrada had on him? Suddenly, it was Rodriguez who was sent off in the first minute of the sixth. The opponent hit the count, but the point was stopped. A war broke out in Phoenix…

…but the war would soon end. The seventh was high-energy, as it had been in previous rounds, but a burst of courage put Estrada down and out. Rodriguez was so confident of his victory that he walked towards his fallen opponent as the referee counted.

*Photos: Matching room