Bam Rodriguez ends the war with Juan Francisco Estrada with a thunderous left punch to the body

By: Sean Crose

The WBC junior bantamweight title was on the line Saturday night in Phoenix when 44-3 defending champion Juan Francisco Estrada slipped between the ropes to face 19-0 undefeated upstart Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. The highly anticipated fight was scheduled for 12 championship rounds. The crowd was electric from the first bell. Both men began by sizing each other up. As the chapter went on, however, Rodriguez managed to get some good shots on the defending champion. Estrada, on the other hand, caught the challenger hard as Rodriguez came close.

The second round remained close, but Estrada was able to score several times. Rodriguez hit the champion with a furious right hook in the third round. Estrada survived, but Rodriguez, fighting with top-notch footwork using a southpaw jab, dominated his opponent. A vicious straight left put the champion down in the fourth round. Estrada bravely got back to his feet, but the opponent was in serious trouble. In fact, he slid to the mat before the bell, which ended the round.

Perhaps surprisingly, Estrada began to pound away at the talented challenger in the fifth round. Nevertheless, Rodriguez managed to stagger Estrada several times, which ultimately raised the question of how much more Estrada had in him. Then, out of the blue, it was Rodriguez who went down in the first minute of the sixth round. The challenger was too late, but the point was made. War had broken out in Phoenix…

…but the war was to end quickly. The seventh round was, like the previous ones, very energetic, but an explosive punch to the liver knocked Estrada down. Rodriguez was so sure of his victory that he approached his fallen opponent while the referee was still counting.

*Images: Matchroom