24-year-old Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez again lived up to his ring nickname last night, this as he ‘bammed out’ a previously unstopped Pedro Guevera of Mexico. Rodriguez, defending his WBA and Ring Magazine super flyweight titles, looked ferocious as he twice dropped 35-year-old Guevera, now 42-5-1(22), with him ending matters in the third round. For sure, “Bam” was able to deliver on his promise of a KO win, while co-headliner Jaron “Boots” Ennis had to make do with a second wide decision over Karen Chukhadzhian.
“Bam,” now 21-0(14), is one of the hottest, most exciting fighters in the sport right now, regardless of weight class, and some massive fights could lay in store for him. People have already begun calling for “Bam” to fight “The Monster,” unified 122-pound champ Naoya Inoue, but this one doesn’t figure to happen any time soon; as Rodgriguez said himself prior to last night’s win, he is currently operating down at 115, and a jump up to 122 will not be rushed.
So, who could be next for “Bam?”
Rodriguez spoke about his desire to get a unification fight, or failing that, a big fight with Nicaraguan legend Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.
“You saw tonight who I am. This is my weight class right now,” Bam said. “I want a unification fight, and I’m ready right now. If I can’t get a unification fight, then I’ll fight [Roman Gonzalez]. Why not? That’ll be badass!”
Gonzalez, 52-4(42), is a no-doubt-about-it future Hall of Famer, and he has already given us some special fights and nights. But at age 37, has “Chocolatito” got enough left to be able to push “Bam” to test him at the highest level? Gonzalez is coming off a win over Rober Barrera, but prior to that, he engaged in two wars with Juan Francisco Estrada, with a win over Julio Cesar Martinez in between. How much did the two Estrada battles take out of Gonzalez?
In terms of “Bam” getting a unification fight at 115 pounds, the other champions are Phumelele Cafu, who recently snatched the WBO belt with a close, thrilling decision win over regular crowd-pleaser Kosei Tanaka, and Fernando Martinez, who holds both the WBA and IBF belts.
As good as he is – can we say great? – “Bam” would be a significant favorite over both men, as he would step in the ring a big favorite over Gonzalez. Can “Bam” get all the gold at Super Flyweight?
