Connect with us

Boxing

Boxer Rankings Without Weight Classes: How Far Has ‘Bam’ Rodriguez Climbed?

Published

3 months ago

on

The juvenile fighter has been making waves over the past few years, taking over various weight classes and rising through the ranks. And with a performance against future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada on June 29th, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez earned high marks from our expert panel.

Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) dominated Estrada en route to a seventh-round KO victory to capture the WBC junior bantamweight title. Rodriguez is only 24 years ancient, but has already won titles in two weight classes. He is also ESPN’s top under-25 fighter.

Rodriguez’s win over Estrada was impressive and prompted most of our panelists to move him higher on their P4P lists.

“Bam” Rodriguez has quickly become an elite mandatory. He doesn’t just outbox his opponents; he dismantles them at the highest level,” ESPN boxing writer Mike Coppinger said of Rodriguez’s move up three spots to No. 5 on his list. “The latest illustration of his greatness: the way he dismantled Estrada. Rodriguez joins the likes of Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez and Naoya Inoue as all-around contenders who are favorites no matter who they fight.”

ESPN boxing analyst Timothy Bradley Jr. agrees, saying Rodriguez’s skill set, versatility and performances against top fighters in his weight class make him a must-watch fighter on TV.

“Bam” Rodriguez is arguably one of the top five boxers in the world, regardless of weight class,” said Bradley, who ranked Rodriguez No. 5 on his list. “Greatness is measured by consistency in bringing out the best in you, and “Bam” has certainly proven that.”

Rodriguez moved up two spots to No. 7.

Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez also won their fights, but both had to go the distance against opponents they were favorites to beat. Stevenson was -3,500 against Artem Harutyunyan, whom he defeated by unanimous decision on July 6. Lopez entered his June 29 fight with Steve Claggett as a -1,200 favorite. He also won by unanimous decision, but neither Stevenson nor Lopez were able to score a knockdown or cause any real trouble for their opponents.

They occupy the last two places and close the top ten.

Our panel of Coppinger, Bradley, Joe Tessitore, Teddy Atlas, Nick Parkinson, Eric Raskin, Michelle Joy Phelps, Claudia Trejos, Bernardo Osuna, Crystina Poncher, Eric Woodyard, Bernardo Pilatti, Charles Moynihan, Salvador Rodriguez, Jim Zirolli, Michael Mascaro, Aladdin Freeman, Victor Lopez, and Damian Delgado Averhoff shared their votes.

1. OLEKSANDR USYKPrevious Ranking: No. 1

RECORD: 22-0, 14 KO
DEPARTMENT: Heavyweight (Undisputed Champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (SD12) Tyson Fury, May 18
NEXT FIGHT: December 21st vs Tyson Fury

2. TERENCE CRAWFORDPrevious Ranking: No. 2

RECORD: 40-0, 31 KO
DEPARTMENT: Welterweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Errol Spence Jr., July 29
NEXT FIGHT: August 3 vs. Israil Madrimov

3. INOUE NAOYAPrevious Ranking: No. 3

RECORD: 27-0, 24 KO
DEPARTMENT: Junior featherweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (KO6) Luis Nery, May 6
NEXT FIGHT: TBA vs. TJ Doheny

4. DMITRY BIVOLPrevious Ranking: No. 4

RECORD: 23-0, 12 KO
DEPARTMENT: Featherlight Heavyweight (Champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (TKO6) Malik Zinad, June 1
NEXT FIGHT: Oct. 12 vs. Artur Beterbiew

5. CANELO ALVAREZPrevious Ranking: No. 5

RECORD: 61-2-2, 39 KO
DEPARTMENT: Super Middleweight (Undisputed Champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (UD12) Jaime Munguia, May 4
NEXT FIGHT: To determine

6. ARTHUR BETERBIEWPrevious Ranking: No. 6

RECORD: 20-0, 20 KO
DEPARTMENT: Featherlight Heavyweight (Unified Champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO7) Callum Smith, January 13
NEXT FIGHT: October 12 vs. Dmitry Bivol

7. JESSE “BAM” RODRIGUEZPrevious Ranking: No. 9

RECORD: 20-0, 13 KO
DEPARTMENT: Junior bantam (champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (KO7) Juan Francisco Estrada, June 29
NEXT FIGHT: To determine

8. GERVONTA DAVISPrevious Ranking: No. 7

RECORD: 30-0, 28 KO
DEPARTMENT: Lightweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (KO8) Frank Martin, June 15
NEXT FIGHT: To determine

9. SHAKUR STEVENSONPrevious Ranking: No. 8

RECORD: 22-0, 10 KO
DEPARTMENT: Lightweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (UD12) Artem Harutyunyan, July 6
NEXT FIGHT: To determine

10. TEOFIMO LOPEZPrevious Ranking: No. 10

RECORD: 21-1, 13 KO
DEPARTMENT: Junior Welterweight (Champion)
LAST FIGHT: In (UD12) Steve Claggett, June 29th
NEXT FIGHT: To determine

Formula

The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first place vote awarding 10 points, a second place vote awarding 9 points, etc. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest rank wins, followed by the player with the most votes at that rank.

Others receiving votes: Vasiliy Lomachenko (10), Tyson Fury (9), David Benavidez (6), Junto Nakatani (4), Errol Spence Jr. (2), Devin Haney (1).

How our writers voted

Atlas: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Buffalo, 5. Davis, 6. Lomachenko, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Alvarez, 9. Fury, 10. Rodriguez

Bradley: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3: Inoue, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Davis, 7. Buffalo, 8. Alvarez, 9. Lopez, 10. Stevenson

Copper: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Alvarez, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Buffalo, 7. Davis, 8. Beterbiev, 9. Nakatani, 10. Hanej

Weaver: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Buffalo, 6. Stevenson, 7. Alvarez, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Lopez, 10. Davis

Parkinson’s: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Lomachenko, 9. Davis, 10. Nakatani

Raskin: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Davis, 8. Stevenson, 9. Beterbiev, 10. Benavides

Punch: 1. Crawford, 2. Usyk, 3. Inoue, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Davis, 9. Stevenson, 10. Lopez

Osuna: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Stevenson, 9. Davis, 10. Lopez

Phelps: 1. Usyk, 2. Alvarez, 3. Inoue, 4. Crawford, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Buffalo, 7. Fury, 8. Lopez, 9. Davis, 10. Stevenson

Rodriguez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Davis, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Beterbiev, 9. Stevenson, 10. Lopez

Three: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Davis, 8. Stevenson, 9. Rodriguez, 10. Lopez

Wood composition: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Alvarez, 5. Davis, 6. Lopez, 7. Stevenson, 8. Buffalo, 9. Beterbiev, 10. Fury

Moynihan: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Alvarez, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Buffalo, 7. Davis, 8. Stevenson, 9. Spence, 10. Benavides

Pilate: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Buffalo, 5. Davis, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Benavides, 9. Lomachenko, 10. Fury

Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Stevenson, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Buffalo, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Lopez, 10. Benavides

Hood: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Alvarez, 8. Lopez, 9. Davis, 10. Stevenson

Citizen: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Buffalo, 6. Alvarez, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Davis, 9. Stevenson, 10. Nakatani

Lopez: 1. Crawford, 2. Usyk, 3. Inoue, 4. Alvarez, 5. Buffalo, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Davis, 8. Beterbiev, 9. Stevenson, 10. Lopez

Delgado Averhof: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Crawford, 4. Buffalo, 5. Alvarez, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Davis, 8. Beterbiev, 9. Stevenson, 10. Fury

ESPN Expert Poll

First place: Usyk (12) Crawford (6), Inoue (1)

Second place: Inoue (8), Crawford (7), Usyk (3), Alvarez (1)

Third place: Inoue (10), Crawford (5), Usyk (4)

Fourth place: Alvarez (7), Bivol (6), Beterbiev (3), Crawford (1), Rodriguez (1), Stevenson (1)

Fifth place: Bivol (6), Alvarez (5), Beterbiev (3), Davis (3), Rodriguez (2)

Sixth place: Rodriguez (6), Bivol (4), Beterbiev (3), Davis (2), Alvarez (1), Stevenson (1), Lopez (1), Lomachenko (1)

Seventh place: Davis (6), Beterbiev (4), Rodriguez (3), Bivol (2), Alvarez (2), Stevenson (1), Fury (1)

Eighth place: Beterbiev (4), Stevenson (4), Alvarez (2), Rodriguez (2), Davis (2), Lopez (2), Bivol (1), Lomachenko (1), Benavidez (1)

Ninth place: Stevenson (5), Davis (4), Lopez (3), Beterbiev (2), Rodriguez (1), Lomachenko (1), Fury (1), Nakatani (1), Spence (1)

10th place: Lopez (5), Stevenson (3), Fury (3), Benavidez (3), Nakatani (2), Rodriguez (1), Davis (1), Haney (1)

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Edgar Berlanga vs. Gabe Rosado possible in Puerto Rico in February

Published

1 hour ago

on

October 10, 2024

By

Image: Edgar Berlanga Wants Munguia, Then Canelo Rematch

Edgar Berlanga is reportedly negotiating with veteran Gabe Rosado to set up a February 2025 fight in Puerto Rico.

Promoter Eddie Hearn reportedly has one fight left before his contract with Berlanga expires. He mentioned the possibility of Berlanga fighting in Puerto Rico or Fresh York against a higher-level opponent.

Hearn’s decision to let Berlanga fight Rosado in the final fight of his Matchroom contract suggests he is interested in re-signing him and wants to invest in his career to build him into a star. There are different levels of stars in boxing.

There are fighters who are stars because they beat the best and are considered world champions. There are also players who are stars due to their popularity, but do not hold world champion titles. Berlanga fits into this category. He’s an East Coast star.

If Hearn had not been interested in keeping Berlanga in the Matchroom squad, he would not have allowed him to employ the final fight of his contract against Rosado.

Gabe Rosado, 38, would certainly fit the description of a challenging opponent. Rosado has lost six of his last eight fights since 2019. That’s not great, but it would be perfect for Berlanga, who hails from Brooklyn, Fresh York. He cannot afford to fight his rival because he is too valuable.

The voice of Thaboxing informs that talks are underway regarding the fight between Berlang (22-1, 17 KO) and Rosado (26-17-1, 17 KO). It will be a confidence booster for 27-year-old Berlanga, who will lend a hand him get back to winning ways after a lopsided, 12-round unanimous decision defeat to unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 14.

Berlanga celebrates his defeat, enjoying going the distance and taking some shots against the 34-year-old Canel. There isn’t much to celebrate other than Berlanga getting a gigantic payday. The results were as follows:

– 117-110
– 118-109
– 118-109

Canelo seemed to be toying with Berlanga, attacking him and not going for the kill to knock him out. Berlanga looked massive in the ring against Canelo and reportedly rehydrated to 600 pounds for the fight.

Gabe Rosado’s last eight fights:

– Bektemir Melikuziev: UD 10 losses
– Ali Akhmedov: UD 10 losses
– Shane Mosley Jr: MD 10 turnovers
– Jaime Munguia: 12 UD lost
– Bektemir Melikuziev: KO Victory 3
– Daniel Jacobs: SD 12 lost
– Humberto Gutierrez Ochoa: UD 10 victory
– Maciej Sulęcki: UD 10 loss

Continue Reading

Boxing

Mike Tyson’s lack of skills at 58 exposed by Jake Paul’s offer

Published

3 hours ago

on

October 10, 2024

By

Mike Tyson 2024 Jake Paul tattoo

Mike Tyson has the opportunity to earn another huge sum of money for his upcoming fight with YouTuber Jake Paul.

But in the process, the 58-year-old Fresh Yorker’s lack of skills was exposed with a $5 million offer. Paul doesn’t believe Tyson can go more than four rounds as he’s almost sixty years ancient, making clear the former Disney child actor’s intentions to face a legend long behind him.

Paul said on one of his many social media channels: “Mikey, Mikey, if you can stick with me for more than four rounds, I’ll give you an extra $5 million. But if you don’t, you need to get a tattoo that says, “I love Jake Paul.” Deal or no deal?”

This statement says everything anyone needs to know about how seriously this fight should be taken. Making “tattoo offers” obfuscates the whole charade and, many say, weakens the sport. Boxing is a sedate sport in which people get seriously injured or, in worst-case scenarios, die. Therefore, an influencer offering money for a longer period of time, with the loss of money if it does not happen, is undoubtedly not the right approach to a professional competition.

The fact that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation sanctioned this fight should mean that the level of professionalism is much higher in this case. The disdain of Bonafide boxing fans will only deepen with incentives like the one Paul suggests.

Tyson says he trains strenuous and can last longer than the ten-second videos he posts. This scenario alone should have made Paul realize that using his platform to set additional terms would not be well received.

Netflix wants the event to be portrayed as an actual fight, even though doubters believe the fight is just a way to make money.

Packing 70,000 fans into AT&T Stadium will be a lofty order, as there should be no further suggestion that Tyson is in needy condition and unable to play the full eight rounds. Paul’s offer actually suggests that it will be hard for Tyson to get to the fifth round without taking punishment from the fists of the 11-1 MMA conqueror.

The consensus is that Tyson is definitely over the hump, has almost no impact resistance and will end up like his rival Evander Holyfield. “The Real Deal” was defeated by Vitor Belfort in 109 seconds when he tried to repeat this success in 2021 at the age of 58.

Holyfield’s efforts were lackluster at best and tarnished a proud legacy dating back to a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. Mike Tyson will have until next month to find out if it’s really worth spending the money.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Wardley is likely to relinquish his British title after winning the rematch

Published

3 hours ago

on

October 10, 2024

By

FABIO WARDLEY says Saturday night will not only end his rivalry with Frazer Clark, but also end his career at national level.

The undefeated 29-year-old will defend his British heavyweight title at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad in a long-awaited rematch with the 33-year-old challenger.

Seven months ago at the O2 Arena in London, both men served a current classic that came to fruition, but ended in a draw that gave neither of them the result they wanted. Wardley says he will treat the rematch in a similar way to the first fight, but after the weekend he wants to compete in bigger fights with greater rewards.

“I think it (Saturday night) closes down a lot of areas,” Clarke said.

“Obviously the Frazer Clarke era, whatever that part of my life or boxing career was – that will end after Saturday night. And my British title, fighting at the level of the British area. I think they will also be implemented. I don’t see any more candidates and that’s right [fight] for me at this point in my career. I’m already on a good streak, so I think it’s time to let it go.

Wardley has held the Lonsdale belt for two years and three fights, including wins over Nathan Gorman and David Adeleye. The Ipswich player, who is in the top 10 in the rankings with three governing bodies, has said what he hopes 2025 will bring for him.

“Ultimately preparing for a world title or at least a chance to win a world title or a qualifier or a voluntary shot.

“I’m in the mix. We know what huge fight will take place at the end of the year. So, when that happens, and then a few months later, when things start to fragment and mandatory players and eliminators start getting called, things will start to go in different directions. I want one of these directions to face me.


Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending