JESSE RODRIGUEZ he became known as one of the best warriors in the world.

The 24-year-old has been making his way through the lower weight classes since winning his first world title in February 2022, and after a devastating seventh-round victory over Mexican legend Juan Francisco Estrada in May this year, ‘Bama’s meteoric rise to fame shows that there are slight signs of slowdown.

“Yes. It was a great fight. I feel like it was my best performance so far in my career,” Rodriguez said Boxing news.

“Especially against an opponent like Estrada. He’s a legend in all of boxing, so to treat him the way I did says a lot about who I am.

“This [the Estrada fight] it was a little different just because it was his territory, being in Phoenix, but I handled it well too. So, like I said, it just shows that not only as a fighter, but as a person, this is who I am.”

A fight with Estrada would give Rodriguez a chance to showcase a side of his game that hasn’t been required before: his drive.

Billed as a “Passing of the Torch” between vintage and modern generations, the action itself lived up to the lofty pre-fight expectations. Estrada was knocked down in the fourth round before returning the favor in the sixth; he sent Rodriguez to the canvas for the first time in his career with a pointed right hand.

“Yes. I mean, it was a learning experience,” Rodriguez smiles.

“Now that I look back, I should have listened to my coaches. They told me not to get too comfortable: that’s what I did. That’s why I ended up on the canvas. I just have to draw conclusions, pay attention, not be inactive and just listen to the coach all the time.

The lesson has been learned. Quick. After stabilizing the ship in the sixth set, Rodriguez finished the round on top, then in the remaining seconds of the seventh, he delivered a crushing left uppercut to the mid-section where Estrada went down again. This time the referee counted to 10 as “El Gallo” lay flat on his back and writhed in agony and Rodriguez was elated.

Estrada, a proud champion making the first stoppage in his storied 48-fight career, quickly signaled his intention to invoke his contracted rematch clause. Of course, he was the first to take Rodriguez down, and for at least part of the fight he was as competitive as anyone on ‘Bama.

However, the rematch would not take place; and Estrada decided to go in a different direction as he neared the end of his Hall of Fame-worthy career. Who could blame him? Especially when we remember again the sickening impact of the body shot that amazingly ended his reign as champion.

“Oh yes, that’s what we expected [the immediate rematch] right after the fight.

“It was already written in the contract that there would be a rematch. I mean, we waited about two months to find out he pulled out and that’s why we ended up here fighting Pedro Guevara. [in Philadelphia on November 9]. But I mean, that’s the way it is. It’s his decision. Ultimately, I have to be respectful.”

Estrada’s withdrawal means Rodriguez will face Mexican Guevara, who, although coming off a career-best win following his last win over Australian Andrew Moloney, is a far cry from the top-flight opponents who have brought the best out of Rodriguez so far.

Nevertheless, “Bam” remains focused on repeating his stellar performances against some of the sport’s top names, although he will enter the fight as the clear favorite. For most, the only question is how decisively Rodriguez will get rid of Guevara, which will be an unimaginable failure.

“I feel like for others it’s an exhibition fight, but for me it’s as unsafe as my previous two fights. I’m on pound for pound list, so I have to go out there and correct it.

“I don’t want to try too strenuous to look impressive. I just have to go out there and approach this fight like I would any other fight. In my last two fights I performed as well as I need to do on November 9. Come fight night, I’ll be ready to operate what I’ve learned from these fights and I’ll be more ready mentally and physically.”

Rodriguez’s return also means he will be one half of a tantalizing modern “double act” alongside IBF welterweight champion and promotional stablemate Jaron “Boots” Ennis. The duo, both associated with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, are widely regarded as two of the future superstars of American and even world boxing.

With the event taking place at the 21,000-capacity Wells Fargo Center in Ennis’ hometown of Philadelphia, Rodriguez himself is excited to showcase his talents to a modern audience, this time on America’s East Coast. To do so alongside another fighter of Ennis’ caliber is another welcome bonus.

“This is a huge opportunity for me, not only to fight on a large card, but also to show my fighting style on the East Coast.

“I have never fought on the East Coast, even as an amateur. “It’s a chance to showcase my skills, my career, and to share it with ‘Boots’ – one of the best in all of boxing – it’s an honor.”

The pairing of two of boxing’s top talents has been largely well-received by boxing fans, with “Boots/Bam” joining “GGG/Chocolatito” and more recently “Benavidez/Tank” as a infrequent opportunity to see the two stars – the fighters are apparently content to share spotlights.

However, there is no hiding the fact that both Ennis and Rodriguez enter their fights as clear favorites. While Ennis has so far struggled to secure fights against the biggest names in the welterweight division, Rodriguez has already boasted a string of top-level victories in his relatively tiny top-level career.

After dominant victories over three of the consensus “Four Kings” in the super flyweight division: Carlos Cuadras, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and the aforementioned Estrada, there remains one name that has eluded Rodriguez so far: Nicaraguan great Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

It was previously believed that the fight with Gonzalez did not take place, in accordance with the will of Teiken Promotions the mighty Akihiko Honda, who promotes both Rodriguez (alongside Matchroom Boxing) and Chocolatito.

However, recent reports suggest that the fantasy matchup could be back on the table, potentially in 2025 in Saudi Arabia. Although “Bam” quickly denied these reports as “phony news”, he did not rule out a future fight with the legendary four-weight world champion.

“Yeah, I mean, it was kind of phony news. Robert [Garcia] he explained it on Twitter. He said: If there are no unification fights after this fight [Guevara]this is a fight we would be interested in if he did [Gonzalez] is also with this.

“So, if it happens, it happens. If not, there are other fighters I want to fight.”

Rodriguez’s emergence as an elite operator coincided with another rise to power in boxing.

Turki Alalshikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment, quickly established himself as a key figure in the sport with the launch of the Saudi season in Riyadh events. There are rumors about Rodriguez playing in Riyad during the season card in the near future, it’s an option that not only appeals to the San Antonio native, but is already included in the terms of his contract.

“I have signed a modern contract with Matchroom and [fighting in] Saudi Arabia is indeed included in the agreement,” Rodriguez confirmed BN. “If I’m fighting there, they have my bag ready. This is another place I would like to fight.”

With Saudi Arabia already hosting two undisputed title fights in Fury vs. Usyk and Beterbiev vs. Bivol in 2024 alone, Rodriguez hopes the riches offered by Alalshikh and GEA will allow him to earn his own shot at unifying all four belts at 115 pounds department.

“I feel like if it were up to me, I would fight [WBA and IBF champion Fernando Daniel] Martinez there [in Saudi]focus on indisputability. It would be a great fight.”

Whether the future involves a trip to Arabia, San Antonio, or somewhere in between, Rodriguez, at just 24 years vintage, has already established himself as one of the hottest talents of a generation.

The desert might be the best place for him.

The last time Galal Yafai boxed Sunlit Edwards, he had to take annual leave from his 9-5 factory job. “I wasn’t even a real boxer back then,” he says. “I was just having fun at that point.”

A decade on and the pair are about to collide in perhaps the most vital British flyweight clash in history, and there is no leave application form in sight.

It was April 2015 and Yafai had barely heard the name Sunlit Edwards when he arrived at Echo Arena in Liverpool for the semifinals of the ABA tournament. Yafai lost in Saturday’s competition and Edwards defeated Joe Maphosa in the final 24 hours, but the seed was sown for a rivalry that would last almost a decade.

They met again in Sheffield later that year as they both planned their path to the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, of course, there was only one place for the 49 kg category and it was Yafai who took it after winning the qualification.

It’s a moment that seems to irritate Edwards, considering he was the one who won their earlier competition. But Yafai, never one to get flustered, smiles when asked to tell his side of the story.

“I went to tournaments and won,” he says. “I improved because I quit my job and fought seven or eight times a year. Before that it only happened two or three times a year, so I just improved very quickly. I went from boxing Sunlit in the ABA and taking it seriously to fighting the No. 1 Cuban in the world and having really tough fights with them.

“Nothing against Sunlit, but he lost in the ABA this year as well. Sunlit lost in the finals to a guy named Kiaran MacDonald, so Sunlit knows better than anyone that you can get beat any day by split decision or whatever.

“He lost in the Olympic year to an English kid. If that happens, then he shouldn’t have left and I shouldn’t have left, it should have been someone else. He doesn’t seem to tell anyone about his loss to Kiaran MacDonald. He knows better than anyone else.

While their time together in the UK was somewhat fleeting in the grand scheme of their careers, it was long enough for them to share what Edwards described as “hundreds” of rounds of sparring. But while Edwards nestled at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield to plow a lonely furrow as a professional, Yafai stayed with Great Britain for two Olympic cycles, the second of which won gold.

Yafai’s decision to start his career with GB’s director of performance Rob McCracken and continue his training in Sheffield also drew criticism from Edwards, who suggested that using the lottery-funded facility gave him an unfair advantage. “McCracken doesn’t pay for his gym,” Edwards said earlier this year. “He receives the best gym in the country, strength and conditioning equipment, an indoor and outdoor treadmill, saunas, steam rooms, massages, and physiotherapy classes for free. You name it, they’ve got it. He can put Sunlit Edwards into their system and they’ll have every fight I’ve ever had in a British ring on TV. Are you telling me it’s a level playing field?

Another smile from Yafai. “I don’t care where I train,” he says. All I need to run is a ring, a bag and my legs. I know Sunlit said I’m making the best of it and that I can watch my sparring. Just watching my sparring doesn’t support. That won’t make me win tonight. To me, that’s really a lot of crap. The gym is a great gym, but I just need a bag and a ring.

He also disagrees with the claim that McCracken always favored him. “Let’s not get it twisted, I’m a flyweight,” he says with a laugh. “I was 28 when I won gold at the Olympics. Rob won’t be a millionaire from me, I’ll tell you that. Rob had Carl Froch and Anthony Joshua. I don’t think when he first saw me, a 100-pound, 150-centimeter elevated little man, he thought, “Yes, this is my way out.” For Sunlit to think that Rob favors me, I think he would prefer a heavyweight that would make him a lot of money.

“Honestly, when I turned professional I thought I would go to America to train with someone, but I thought I got along with Rob and he’s a straight guy. I had confidence in him and thought I’d try it out and see what he wanted to do. It just really happened. I said I’d like to stay there and train with him, and he replied, “We’ll see how everything goes.”

So far it’s gone as well as possible. Yafai is 8-0, 6 KOs and was on the right track from the start, making his debut over 10 rounds against the talented Carlos Bautista in February 2022. He ended it with 2-11 in the fifth over. Still, despite being three years older than Edwards at 31, the southpaw can’t match his opponent’s professional experience.

Surrey-born Edwards, who has spent most of his adult life in Sheffield, is 21-1, 4 KOs and a former world champion with four successful defenses and a reputation as one of the best in the division. That’s why selecting Edwards as his opponent in his first 12-round fight is a bold move on Yafai’s part.

“I think it’s time because I feel better,” he explains. “My team around me also knows that I am better than him.

“I don’t want to go all out on him and say I beat him in sparring, but if Sunlit had beaten me in sparring, the fight wouldn’t have happened at all, so it’s really uncomplicated. Of course, we sparred in the amateur category, but also before my debut.

“When I turned pro, I went to his gym and we sparred for about a month. We sparred twice a week for a month, doing 10 rounds. That’s 20 rounds a week for a month and then again in 2023, I think, so I understood what he meant because he was the world champion at the time and I hadn’t even made my debut yet. I really shouldn’t judge him, but it was a good sparring match.

“But sparring means nothing. This doesn’t mean that if sparring is comfortable for me, I will win this fight. Fighting is the whole thing, it’s a different thing, you have to rise to the occasion. We’ll see tonight, but if I had been beaten during sparring, this fight wouldn’t have happened, trust me.”

The interim WBC flyweight title is at stake at the BP Pulse Arena in Birmingham, despite Kenshiro Teraji only winning the full belt last month. Still, the Second City winner will likely get a chance to fight the champion at some point in 2025. Yafai doesn’t mind.

“I just don’t look too far into the future,” he says. “I don’t even know why there was a provisional title for this film. I don’t care either. I’m not thinking about the Japanese champion or anyone else. Let me get past Sunlit, this obstacle, and then maybe I’ll think about who’s next and what titles will be available, because this could all end quickly if I don’t beat Sunlit next week. Then I’m five hurdles back. Let me get past Sunlit and then we’ll see what Eddie Hearn and the team want to do.

If he loses, I don’t know what he’ll do, and if he wins, I don’t know what he’ll do. It’s either going to be shit for him or for me.

BOXING is the Wild West. Or rather, as legendary journalist Jimmy Cannon once said, “Boxing is the red lightweight district of professional sports.”

In any case, it is a sport that deserves the utmost integrity and oversight, protecting competitors from the catastrophic risks associated with their craft.

And yet, in the absence of an overarching governing body to set standards, after all these years there is no effective deterrent when an athlete’s safety is compromised by the exploit of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

Instead of addressing this issue with a high degree of consideration and urgency, the sport has, quite astonishingly, strayed even further from a place of purity where, still, despite the best efforts of those who want to effect change, the rules enforced by each committee remain fundamentally unclear.

Anyone not connected to boxing will ask why Ryan Garcia, an athlete banned by the Up-to-date York State Athletic Commission earlier this year, was given a chance to remain lively.

Of course, his next fight, which will take place on December 30, will only be an exhibition and not a professional fight. Despite this, the 26-year-old will be financially rewarded at a time when his so-called penalty.

What’s more, it’s somewhat astonishing that Garcia, who tested positive for ostarine following his controversial fight with Devin Haney, only received a one-year ban.

As with most scorching fighters, his defense was that trace amounts of the substance were found in his system, indicating that he didn’t actually have an artificial advantage over Haney. However, this excuse, even though it has been used many times, only seems to raise further questions.

First, how did the substance end up in his system? And, perhaps more importantly, what if Garcia had used microdosing techniques – taking smaller doses of ostarine throughout training camp – to circumvent the tests?

In other sports, these questions would be addressed by the governing body responsible for making an informed decision about what happens if an athlete tests positive for PEDs. However, in boxing, a fighter who has been banned by the commission is given the freedom to explore other options – hence Garcia’s exhibition.

This is a problem that fans have tried to deal with, but whose complexity only creates more frustration.

Ultimately, the solution is clear: we need a recognized organization that will have jurisdiction over the entire sport. However, given boxing’s archaic structure, this demand is, well, quite unrealistic.

However, instead of burying our heads in the sand, shouldn’t we pave a path that will at least lead us to a more desirable state of affairs?

Boxing newsafter all, it was based on the same ambition – to see boxing as a good, tidy sport – when John Murray founded its flagship publication in 1909.

That’s why now, more than ever, it’s critical that Murray’s words are at the epicenter of the sport’s fight against PEDs.

As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest problems with drug testing is that once a fighter is found guilty, his punishment is rarely severe enough to discourage other fighters from following suit.

And this can actually be largely explained by the lack of coherence between individual committees.

But what if the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA), a trusted organization widely considered the gold standard in drug testing, actually had the authority to act on its findings?

In this sense, every commission around the world, whether they like it or not, would be obliged to adopt VADA’s position on PEDs.

Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but which other organization has the authority to take on such a huge responsibility?

In turn, VADA would be able to alleviate some of the pressure that individual commissions are currently under by eliminating the drawn-out disputes into which militants are often drawn.

Take for example the situation between Conor Benn and the British Boxing Board of Control. Would it instead be wiser for VADA to enforce the ruling based on its own findings?

This way, at least we would know that a group of experts – with extensive knowledge of drug testing – made a decision based solely on scientific evidence, whether anyone agrees with it or not.

Of course, getting two organizations to agree on something is never simple in any industry, let alone boxing.

However, if the world’s leading commissions trusted VADA and agreed to support any rulings made, then boxing would certainly be in a much healthier place.

That said, the legal ramifications that have emerged from the various failed tests conducted in recent years are a very different story, potentially giving VADA less incentive to continue to boost its involvement in boxing – a sport that continues to amaze even the most desensitized fighters. fans.