Some people in the industry feel we may get a Fight of the Year candidate this Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona, as Juan Francisco Estrada will defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against unbeaten star on the rise, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. With the styles and sheer class of the two men, this one will prove memorable and worth tuning in for.
Rodriguez is the younger man by quite a margin at age 24 to defending champ Estrada’s 34 years. Meanwhile, “Bam” is unbeaten at 19-0(12) and is a former unified ruler at flyweight. Estrada, who has never been stopped, is 44-3(28).
But who wins on Saturday?
According to the bookmakers, Rodriguez will win. He is listed as a 4/1 favorite in some places, and other betting sites have closer odds but still favor “Bam.”
As is customary during fight week, the folks at RingTV.com have compiled an experts’ pick, with 19 experts from the sport giving their opinions on what they think will happen. Perhaps bad news for Estrada is that just one person on this list is picking the defending champion to retain his belt.
Diego Morilla is picking Estrada based on a unanimous decision victory. All 18 other experts are going with “Bam,” and three see a KO or stoppage win for Rodriguez. One of these three people is Sunny Edwards, the last man to have shared a ring with Rodriguez, the British fighter being stopped in the ninth round of their unification showdown at 112 pounds.
Most see a distance fight, but the feeling is youth will be served—that and possibly greatness. Is Rodriguez a great in the making? Plenty of people think so. It will be a good fight on Saturday, with Estrada bringing his all. Though the older—one could argue tougher man—will perhaps push Rodriguez harder than he’s ever been pushed, “Bam” has to be the pick to win.
Will we witness a classic on Saturday?