It didn’t take long for Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez to destroy Pedro Guevara and to defend his IBF super flyweight title on Saturday night in Philadelphia. Bam left no doubt about how dominant he is at 115 pounds.
The 24-year-old star scored a third-round KO victory over Guevara. The end came after two explosive knockdowns. After the second knockdown, Guevara laid flat on his back and removed his mouthpiece.
The referee wasted no time calling off the count. This KO loss was the first of Guevara’s career.
Here is a look at the knockout.
Bam’s win improved his record to a perfect 21-0 with 14 KOs. Guevara dropped to 42-5-1, and he looked like a veteran who might be ready to hang up the gloves. He’s 35 years old and was in the ring with one of the best fighters in the world.
Here is a look at the reaction following Bam’s latest KO win.
Bam’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, echoed his post-fight comments on social media.
Everything Boxing doesn’t think Bam should be looking at a fight with Roman Gonzalez but more at the winner of the Kazuto Ioka vs. Fernando Daniel Martinez rematch.
All the Smoke Boxing called attention to the angle and approach Bam took to set up the uppercut KO.
Bam gets love from IFL TV who recognize him as a special talent.
The punch stats from CompuBox are just as lopsided as you might expect.
The big question for Bam following the win was who is next for the lower-weight superstar. He expressed an interest in unifying the titles at Super Flyweight, but if those opportunities aren’t available, Bam welcomes a fight with Chocolatito.
Bam has already scored victories over three of the four super flyweight kings. He defeated Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2022 and Juan Francisco Estrada in June. Chocolatito is the last unconquered king.
While the fight wouldn’t be for a title, something must be said for completing that trek through a group of legends. At some point, it seems like Bam and Naoya Inoue should clash.
It remains to be seen if Bam will ever be able to come up high enough in weight to align with the Japanese star, who is currently the IBF, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight champion.
For now, Bam has solidified his place on the list of pound-for-pound contenders. Also on the card, Raymond Ford enjoyed a successful debut at 130 pounds. Ford dropped Orlando Gonzalez in the second round with a vicious right hook.
It looked like Ford would have a quick night, but Gonzalez might have earned frequent flyer miles with the level of running and flying around the ring he utilized to survive and go the distance.
Ford followed Gonzalez around the ring, looking for the finish, but the Puerto Rican kept his movement up for 30 minutes. The strategy didn’t make for an entertaining fight, but it allowed Gonzalez to finish it on his feet.
While the self-preservation move might have saved Gonzalez from absorbing damage, it should make every promoter think twice before booking him in another fight on a major stage.
