Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez put on a show in Philadelphia to retain his WBC and The Ring super-flyweight world titles, then turned his attention to bigger challenges, including a possible fight with the last member of the “Four Kings” he hasn’t yet fought.
Rodriguez produced another emphatic display of his power as he handed Pedro Guevara the first stoppage defeat of his 48-fight career with a third-round TKO finish, and declared himself as the top dog at 115 pounds.
“This is my weight class right now,” he told DAZN’s Chris Mannix after his victory.
“I’ve got a few more fights here (at 115 pounds), and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Rodriguez has set his sights on a unification fight in a bid to add more belts to his collection, but another huge potential matchup could be an option for the undefeated 24-year-old.
Former four-weight world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez is the only remaining member of the famous “Four Kings” of the super flyweight division that Rodriguez hasn’t already faced and defeated already. He outpointed Carlos Cuadras for the WBC super flyweight title back in 2022, then retained it with an eighth-round stoppage of Thai legend Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
He then dropped to flyweight and captured the WBO title before moving back to super flyweight and knocking out Juan Francisco Estrada in Phoenix to capture The Ring and WBC titles. Now, Rodriguez says the time could be right for him to face his longtime promotional stablemate in a huge fight for both men.
“I’m ready for it. If the unifications don’t come, why not?” he said, before commenting on the prospect of defeating “Chocolatito” and completing the full set of wins over the “Four Kings.”
“I’d beat that ass. Take them all out.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn admitted that Rodriguez and Gonzalez had been kept apart due to a longstanding relationship with Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions.
But now the Matchroom Boxing supremo said that the fighters, who had previously not been overly interested in the fight, may now be keen, with the fight making a lot of sense for both men at this time in their respective careers.
“You know, out of respect, Mr. Honda didn’t want these guys fighting,” Hearn explained.
“Now, ‘Chocolatito’ is at the stage (where) he wants a challenge. He wants a big challenge. And this is the biggest challenge out there for him.
“The biggest fight for ‘Chocolatito’ right now is Jesse Rodriguez, and it might be vice versa in the division. So, let them make their money. Let them give the crowd and the fans a tremendous fight.
“But 24 years of age? If this kid was a middleweight, you’d be talking about him as one of their all-time greats of this sport. I’m glad that this weight class is getting the attention, and it should do, because when you see this man in action and that knockout tonight, this is a very, very special talent.”
