The hits just keep on coming for Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
At 24-years-old, the youngest world champion in boxing has compiled a highlight reel that could rival some of the sweet science’s best in excitement.
Whether it was becoming the WBC super flyweight titleholder with a unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras in February 2022 or emptying his arsenal of punches to produce an eighth-round stoppage of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai four months later, blasting Sunny Edwards in December 2023 or his back-to-back knockouts of Juan Francisco Estrada and Pedro Guevara in June and November 2024, respectively, Rodriguez has given us many moments letting us know why his nickname is “Bam!”
And that brings us to DAZN’s 10th and final New Year’s Resolution for boxing in 2025:
For “Bam” Rodriguez to dare to be even greater by moving up to challenge Naoya Inoue
Making the climb up to challenge the undisputed junior featherweight ruler Inoue would spell Rodriguez going from his current 115 pounds to 122 pounds.
When sitting down with Cigar Talk late last year, Rodriguez said he thinks the fight is a few years away.
“I think maybe three or four years before we’re in the same weight class,” he said.
“[Inoue’s] a good fighter, he’s strong, he has skill as well. But I mean, I have the whole package, too. So I mean, it’s just a matter of actually stepping inside the ring with him.”
He added: “I could say something but I rather just show it. By the time we’re in the same weight class, I feel I’d be a lot older, wiser, stronger. It’s just a matter of time before these fights happen.”
Simply put: Rodriguez clashing with Inoue at a higher weight would test boxing’s rising pound-for-pound star against the sport’s arguable P4P king.
“Bam” vs. “The Monster” checks all the boxes for a pound-for-pound classic matchup.
Both are undefeated, Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) to Rodriguez’s 21-0 with 14 KOs. Both men have electric punching power for their size with scintillating boxing skills, including the slicing, pinpoint combinations to set them up.
And flat out, both fighters are dynamic in their own right.
So if it’s a matter of time before we see if “Bam” could tame the “Monster,” we just hope that time comes sooner than later because this is the kind of tantalizing showdown that boxing fans can’t afford to miss.
It's an all-action movie we must see.