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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Juan Francisco Estrada and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez are finalizing a June 29 fight in Glendale, Arizona, for Estrada’s WBC junior bantamweight title, sources told ESPN.
Rodriguez, a unified champion at 112 pounds, is returning to 115 for a shot at the future Hall of Famer. Named ESPN’s No. 1 boxer under 25 years old in December, Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) scored a career-best win that month when he stopped Sunny Edwards in nine rounds to unify flyweight titles.
“Bam” is on the cusp of pound-for-pound recognition, but he first must push past of the all-time greats in the lower weights in what shapes up as a passing-of-the-torch showdown.
Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) rose to prominence last decade as the American boxing scene finally gave flyweight boxers their due. His first title shot resulted in his first defeat, a decision setback against the great Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in 2012.
The following fight, Estrada became a unified champion when he outpointed Brian Viloria. He went on to compete in 12 more title fights over the years, including his most-recent outing, a decision win over Gonzalez in a December 2022 trilogy bout.
Estrada, ESPN’s No. 1 junior bantamweight, hasn’t competed since and will enter the ring on the heels of a career-long 18-month layoff. He turns 34 in April.
Rodriguez, a 24-year-old southpaw from San Antonio, captured the vacant WBC junior bantamweight title in February 2022 when he outpointed Carlos Cuadras. Four months later, Rodriguez stopped Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in Round 8 of his first defense.
Following one more successful defense, Rodriguez moved down to 112 pounds and won a vacant title with a victory over Cristian Gonzalez in April. Now “Bam,” who is led by renowned trainer Robert Garcia, will prepare for what looks like the toughest challenge of his career.
Estrada owns two wins over Gonzalez — even if both decisions were disputed — and the trilogy is one of the most action-packed in championship history. “El Gallo” also took part in two thrilling fights with Sor Rungvisai, splitting the pair of bouts when he won the 2019 rematch. Estrada scored a win over Argi Cortes in September 2020 sandwiched between a pair of victories over “Chocolatito.”
A fight between Edwards and former 108-pound champion Adrian Curiel is in play for the co-feature, sources said.