“Straight Dawg!”: Oscar Nominated Actress, Curmel Moton, and Boxing Pros Jaw-Dropped After “Cold” Bam Rodriguez Comes Back From Getting Knocked Down to Flatline Estrada

There’s a reason why there are champions. It’s not because they win or continue a winning streak. It is because, like every other human, they fall. But then they get up, fight back, and win again. Boxers like Naoya Inoue and Jesse Rodriguez fall into that category. Like his Japanese colleague who suffered an early setback in his title defense against Luis Nery, ‘Bam’ too suffered an early round scare. In the 6th round, ‘El Gallo’s straight right threw him down to the canvas.

But that’s when the San Antonio-born Southpaw showed why he’s a class apart, a generational talent. In the next round, a solid left connected neatly with Juan Francisco Estrada‘s body. ‘El Gallo’ fell down, rolling and writhing in pain. There was no road to redemption for the Mexican boxer. The outstanding win in a fight-of-the-year nominee—yes, the fight deserves it—soon received loads of appreciation from all corners. Many well-known names from the boxing world too joined in, lauding this true champion as one of the current generation’s greatest boxers.

The route to greatness: Jesse Rodriguez

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez returned to the ring six months after that epic fight with Sunny Edwards in Arizona. Apart from snatching the Londoner’s IBF flyweight belt, he retained his WBO title as well. It was time to move on. Later in March this year, reports came that ‘Bam’ would move up a division and challenge the much-experienced war horse Juan Francisco Estrada for the WBC and the Ring titles.

The Mexican hadn’t seen the face of the ring since his last title defense against Roman Gonzalez in December 2022. The 34-year-old veteran, who boasts 47 fights on his resume, has suffered defeats in the past. But he had never been stopped early. Perhaps there’s always a time for something new.

The match started with Bam’ Rodriguez turning out more aggressively. His trademark angular hits spoke for themselves. The first turning point came in the fourth round, when a left upper cut from the American champion threw Estrada down. But the Mexican champion didn’t allow it to affect him. He gradually started making inroads into the fight, pushing back ‘Bam’ with some solid right hands.

The shell-shocked boxing world!

His patience paid off in the sixth round. A straight right had Rodriguez touching the canvas. But the latter got up quickly. In the 7th round, a close-quarter exchange ensued. But it was enough for Jesse Rodriguez to find the space he longed for. The body shot served its purpose. Juan Estrada couldn’t get on the referee’s count. Let’s check out what some of the celebrities had to say.

Former world champion Jamel Herring was one of the first to comment. It was clear he just didn’t have enough words to describe how ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has come up as a standout boxer. Apart from his speed and power, Herring was visually blown away by the 24-year-old’s defensive ability and patient striking.

The way ‘Bam’ Rodriguez hunted down Estrada patiently without losing his nerves spoke a lot about the level of control he exercises in the ring. It clearly impressed the undisputed super featherweight champion (women), Alycia Baumgardner.

In a subsequent tweet, she warned everyone to stay clear of Jesse Rodriguez’s street.

Another big-hitter with a perfect 100% KO score, Vergil Ortiz Jr., also commended Jesse Rodriguez for his emphatic win. Perhaps he might try a similar body shot in his upcoming fight?

Oscar-nominated actress and longtime boxing ally Rosie Perez just couldn’t believe her eyes the way the match got over.

Former light middleweight champion Sergio Mora‘s eyes were perhaps fixed on Juan Estrada as he loudly called out when Jesse Rodriguez knocked him down.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.‘s prodigy and an upcoming star himself, Curmel Moton, went much ahead of others. He would rather place ‘Bam’ Rodriguez among a bunch of ‘the greatest of all time (GOAT)!

Given what Jesse Rodriguez accomplished today, he fully deserves all the recognition and respect. The victory over another classy boxer like Sunny Edwards announced his arrival in the big league. But the Estrada win has put a stamp of approval on the Bam legacy.

Fans will now be eagerly looking forward to his next move. He has quite a few options to play around with. The rematches with either Estrada or Edwards might be in offing. Then he also goes after the remaining 115-pound champions like Pedro Guevara (interim WBC flyweight), Kazuto Ioka (WBA), Fernando Martinez (IBF), and Kosei Tanaka (WBO) for title unification. Any thoughts on a super fight with Naoya Inoue?

What’s your take on Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez’s win today? Do you believe that it’s high time the boxing world accepted him as a true generational talent?