Jesse Rodriguez has his hand raised after defeating Juan Francisco Estrada for the Ring Journal and WBC 115-pound titles. Picture by Amanda Westcott/Matchroom
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is about to face a 16-year professional and former main titlist from Mexico for his subsequent outing.
No, not him.
The Ring has confirmed that San Antonio’s Rodriguez (20-0, 13 knockouts) has finalized phrases for a compulsory WBC title consolidation bout protection versus Mexico’s Pedro Guevara. The 115-pound championship conflict will happen Nov. 9 and sure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, per a number of sources.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) would headline the present if the placement holds. The particulars are nonetheless being labored out concerning his IBF welterweight title obligations.
Rodriguez received the RING junior bantamweight crown and regained the WBC title in a seventh-round knockout of Juan Francisco Estrada. Each fighters hit the deck of their June 29 championship conflict in Phoenix, Arizona. Rodriguez recovered to place away Mexico’s Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) and finish his reign.
Their bout got here with a rematch clause, which Estrada initially exercised earlier this summer time. Nevertheless, The Ring has confirmed that Estrada moved on and can now marketing campaign within the bantamweight division.
ESPN Knockout’s Salvador ‘Chava’ Rodriguez was the primary to report that growth.
Estrada’s determination paved the way in which for Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) to enter the combination.
The previous WBC 108-pound titlist from Mazatlan, Mexico has received 12 of his final 13 begins since his final main title struggle seven years in the past. Guevara’s one loss throughout that interval got here to Carlos Cuadras of their Nov. 17 interim WBC 115-pound title struggle in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Curiously, this state of affairs ought to have arrange a Rodriguez-Cuadras rematch. Rodriguez defeated the previous two-time WBC 115-pound titlist to win that belt in Feb. 2022. Cuadras made his manner again into competition however suffered an damage which prevented a title protection versus Australia’s Andrew Moloney (26-4, 16 KOs).
Guevara changed Cuadras, and wound up in the appropriate place on the proper time. He claimed the interim belt in a twelve-round cut up determination on Might 12 in Perth, Australia. The win catapulted him to No. 6 in The Ring’s 115-pound rankings.
Rodriguez is the division’s champion and No. 5 pound-for-pound. His two 115-pound title reigns bookended his temporary keep at flyweight. Boxing’s youngest titleholder claimed the WBO and IBF belts in back-to-back fights in 2023.
Guevara held the WBC 108-pound title from Dec. 2014 to Nov. 2015. His bid to regain the belt resulted in an Oct. 2017 majority determination to Kenshiro Teraji.
