By: Sean Crose
The WBC junior bantamweight title was on the line Saturday night in Phoenix when 44-3 defending champion Juan Francisco Estrada slid between the ropes to face undefeated 19-0 rookie Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez . The highly anticipated bout was scheduled for a 12-round championship bout. The crowd was excited right from the opening bell. Both men began sizing each other up. However, as the round wore on, Rodriguez was able to knock out the defending champion in excellent fashion. On the other hand, Estrada caught his opponent when Rodriguez was rushing in.
Things remained tight in the second round, but Estrada found his groove on several occasions. Rodriguez tagged the champion with a vicious right hook in the third. Estrada survived, but Rodriguez, fighting back from a southpaw jab with high leg work, dominated his man. A vicious left sent the champion down in the fourth. Estrada struggled to his feet, but the man was in serious trouble. Indeed, he slid to the mat before the bell ended the round.
Perhaps surprisingly, Estrada defeated his talented opponent in the fifth round. However, Rodriguez was able to defeat Estrada multiple times, staggering Estrada, ultimately raising the question of what else Estrada can do? Then, suddenly, it was Rodriguez who was defeated in the first minute of the sixth round. The opponent has beaten the score, but the point has already been given. War has broken out in Phoenix…
…but the war will end quickly. The seventh round was high energy, like the previous rounds, but a hard shot to the liver knocked Estrada out. Rodriguez was so confident in his victory that he walked towards his fallen opponent while the referee was still counting.
*Image: Matchroom
