By: Hans Themistode
Jesse Rodriguez knows it’s only a matter of time before he becomes world champion. But, the 22-year-old didn’t know his time would come so soon.
The San Antonio Texas-born didn’t hesitate a bit when he was called up at the last minute to compete in the main event at the Footprint Center in Phoenix Arizona with former multi-time champion Carlos Cuadras for the WBC super flyweight 115 title and left. drum.
Despite moving up two weight classes, Rodriguez had little or no trouble taking on his much more experienced foe.
In the opening game, a confident Rodriguez headed into the middle of the box and tried to keep his position. However, he was completely confused in those first minutes. With the help of unique turns and relentless body shots, Cuadras excelled through the first round.
Even as Rodriguez fought on the big stage for the first time in his career, he looked calm in the following round. He starts the phase strong, lowering his sharp right arm to center. With a minute and a half left in this time, Rodriguez delivered his best and most explosive shot of the night, a left-hand drive that smashed Cuadras.
Despite appearing dazed, Cuadras rose to his feet and began trading with his much younger opponent. As the midpoint of their contest passed, Cuadras exerted pressure to try to break his man. Trying as hard as he can, Rodriguez just lifts his feet up and down and continues to accelerate. The baby-faced 22-year-old punished the former champion by throwing punches and levers on his already marked face.
With the world championship just minutes away, Rodriguez has already started using the cruise control system. Although carefully boxed on the outside, Cuadras cut the ring off and pinned his man to the rope. A series of continuous shots into the midfield made Rodriguez wince in pain.
In the final three minutes of the duel, Cuadras once again tried to confuse his men with the ropes. However, this time it did not help when Rodriguez met the former famous player again with his own offense.
With both fighters throwing skins until the final bell, Rodriguez jumped on the rope after finishing their part. Moments later, his championship dream came true when he was awarded a unanimous decision victory with a score of 115-113 and matching scorecards of 117-110,
