Estrada Vs. Rodriguez: A Potential Passing Of The Torch On Saturday

Legendary Mexican fighter Juan Francisco Estrada will face the young phenom Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in what could be a passing of the torch this Saturday, June 29th, on DAZN.

‘Bam’ Rodriguez, 24, will take on WBC super flyweight champion Estrada at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The event starts at 9:30 p.m. ET. Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is viewed as the next superstar for the 115-lb division, and he just needs to take the brass ring from legendary Juan Estrada to take the spot at the top.

Estrada took a two-year break after his questionable 12-round majority decision over Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in 2022. Still, he maintains that the time out of the ring hasn’t been true inactivity because he’s continued to work.

Estrada’s Inactivity

The time out of the ring has arguably delayed the inevitable for Estrada because he’s not going to help him on Saturday hold onto his WBC and Ring super flyweight titles if he no longer has what it takes to hold off the young, ambitious ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, who is coming to take what he has.

The 34-year-old Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) has had a long career with famous wars against Roman ‘Chocolatito Gonzalez, Carlos Cuadras, Brian Viloria, and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

In his last two fights, Estrada has not looked like the same energetic fighter he was years earlier, and this is a signal that his time is up.

Estrada has cheated defeat in his last two fights against Chocolatito and Argi Cortes, but he clearly deserved losses in both fights. However, he was given what many fans felt were gifts based on his fame for old times’ sake.

“Well, a lot of people call it inactivity, don’t they? I would actually call it inactivity if it were time away from the gym,” said Juan Francisco Estrada to DAZN Boxing about his long layoff from the sport.

“It’s been like a year and a half since my last fight, but I haven’t been out of the gym. I’ve actually been in training. Although I’ve not fought in this period, it’s been good for me because I like to be with my family. So, I don’t think I’ve been wasting time, right?” said Estrada.

Estrada’s Time Out of the Ring

It’s not good that Estrada has been inactive for two years. He can try to make it sound positive, but the reality is that he’s been inactive, and that’s a negative for any fighter, particularly one in his mid-30s with a lot of mileage on him.

There will be no shame if Estrada is dethroned by ‘Bam’ Rodriguez on Saturday night because it’s not like this is a bottom feeder he’s facing. ‘Bam’ is one of the top fighters in the sport, and might be thie #1 guy at 115 now. He’s the king waiting to be crowned.