Within the two years since 24-year-old southpaw Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez first arrived on the title scene at 115 kilos, the native of San Antonio has achieved nothing however scream along with his performances that boxing has a future celebrity on its arms.
Simply six fights later, the idea has all however been confirmed as truth after Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) continues to not simply add elite names to his rising legend at such a younger age, however the method by which he surgically brutalizes them that has been most startling.
In 2022, Rodriguez almost stumbled into the fighter of the 12 months honors after outpointing veteran champion Carlos Cuadras for the WBC tremendous flyweight title earlier than knocking out division king Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in simply eight rounds (and later including a 3rd win over former title challenger Israel Gonzalez). Final 12 months, Rodriguez moved again down in weight to 112 kilos the place he dominated Cristian Gonzalez Hernandez for the vacant WBO flyweight title earlier than unifying eight months later with IBF champion Sunny Edwards in a ninth-round stoppage.
However it was this previous Saturday in Phoenix the place Rodriguez took his star to an all-new degree when he moved again as much as 115 kilos to take the WBC title from pound-for-pound stalwart Juan Francisco Estrada by rising from the canvas himself earlier than brutally ending the longer term Corridor of Famer by way of physique shot in Spherical 7.
Inserting Rodriguez underneath the attention check alone reveals how thrilling and dynamic a younger fighter he really is as an correct but highly effective mixture puncher with deceivingly fast ft who can pivot within the pocket like a major Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez to change stances and angles earlier than unloading enormous pictures. However it’s a statistical have a look at Rodriguez, due to the parents at CompuBox, the place “Bam” begins to look much more like a world-class practitioner.
Rodriguez at present ranks first amongst all elite boxers in a trio of vital CompuBox classes: energy join share (49.1%, edging out Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Shakur Stevenson), jab join share (28.7%, besting Deontay Wilder and Naoya Inoue) and whole join share (39.7%, beating David Benavidez, Davis and Canelo Alvarez). Contemplating that Estrada had traditionally restricted his opponents to simply over 29% of energy punches landed all through his profession, the truth that Rodriguez landed simply shy of fifty% is essentially the most insane stat of all.
Had Rodriguez been merely a slick boxer, it is not as seemingly he would have ended up this excessive on the P4P listing. The identical will be mentioned, after all, if “Bam” had fought solely in a extra stereotypical Mexican type of eschewing protection as a way to get inside and land enormous pictures.
As an alternative, Rodriguez has discovered a technique to grasp all sides of his recreation with out taking away from what makes him so harmful as a pure finisher. And the potential for him solely to proceed to climb the P4P high 10 stays excessive, not simply due to his tendency to hunt out essentially the most tough names, however as a result of Rodriguez’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, has been speaking publicly concerning the concept of matching him towards the Japanese star Inoue, himself a former P4P king who stays in competition for the highest spot.
Rodriguez would want to maneuver up two extra divisions, probably, for the battle to happen. Inoue would additionally want to hold round 122 kilos, which is the fourth division by which he has gained a world title, lengthy sufficient for the battle to turn out to be a actuality.
Both method, the trail has been set towards greatness for Rodrigutez who deserves each single accolade coming his method after an unbelievable leap into boxing’s true elite circle of fighters.
Utilizing a standards that takes into consideration every little thing from accomplishments to present type, let’s take a better have a look at the highest fighters contained in the ring. Under is the newest Pound for Pound rankings replace after Rodriguez’s win in June.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Oleksandr Usyk
Undisputed heavyweight champion (22-0, 14 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 1
Usyk’s skilled run has been as adorned because it has been excellent. The previous undisputed cruiserweight champ scored a pair of resounding victories over Anthony Joshua to unify a trio of heavyweight titles earlier than lastly getting his undisputed conflict towards WBC champion Tyson Fury in Could. An thrilling, split-decision victory made Usyk simply the third male boxer to turn out to be undisputed champion in two divisions throughout the four-belt period.
2. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (24-0, 22 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 2
The four-division champion who has reached undisputed standing in at two completely different weight courses solely continued his legendary takeover of the game by rising from the canvas to end Luis Nery of their Could title bout on the Tokyo Dome. “The Monster” might have endured a quick misstep however he made up for the error by scoring three thrilling knockdowns en path to a sixth-round knockout. Unbeaten obligatory challenger Sam Goodman seems to be subsequent.
3. Terence Crawford
Undisputed welterweight champion (39-0, 29 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 3
Should you puzzled how nice Crawford really was, his dismantling of Spence of their undisputed title bout supplied these solutions. Crawford, who proved he can be a handful for any welterweight in historical past will transfer as much as 154 kilos in August when he challenges WBA champion Israil Madrimov.
4. Artur Beterbiev
Unified gentle heavyweight champion (20-0, 20 KOs) | Earlier rating: 5
Beterbiev turned away any whispers that he was getting outdated by dismantling former 168-pound champion Callum Smith in January. Together with his mandatories out of the best way, an undisputed showdown towards WBA champion Dmitry Bivol was scheduled for June 1. However the 39-year-old Beterbiev pulled out in Could with a ruptured meniscus, which moved the battle to October.
5. Dmitry Bivol
WBA gentle heavyweight champion (23-0, 12 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 6
Following an unbelievable 2022, which included a victory over Canelo Alvarez and nearly common acclaim because the fighter of the 12 months, Bivol sat out most of 2023 in hopes of dealing with unified champion Artur Beterbiev. Their undisputed title conflict was set for June 1 till Beterbiev suffered a serious harm, forcing Bivol to face alternative Malik Zinad, which he dealt with with ease.
6. Canelo Alvarez
Undisputed tremendous middleweight champion (61-2-2, 38 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 4
The previous P4P king continues to be the undisputed champion of one of many sport’s hottest divisions and he proved simply that by brilliantly outdueling countryman Jaime Munguia in Could. That does not imply the Mexican icon stands alone with out criticism, nevertheless, because the boxing world continues to push for a superfight towards two-time champion David Benavidez that Alvarez is outright avoiding.
7. Gervonta Davis
WBA light-weight champion (30-0, 28 KOs) | Earlier rating: 7
Davis’ body-shot knockout of Ryan Garcia of their superfight final April seems even higher now that “King Ryan” turned the primary boxer to drop and defeat former undisputed light-weight king Devin Haney. With a 2023 jail sentence behind him, “Tank” returned in June to obliterate unbeaten Frank Martin. Davis needs champions from right here on out, which might imply unification fights towards Shakur Stevenson or Vasiliy Lomachenko.
8. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
Flyweight, junior bantamweight titleholder (20-0, 13 KOs) | Earlier rating: NR
The 24-year-old phenom from San Antonio landed simply shy of fifty % of his energy pictures to dismantle 115-pound titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada in July. Rodriguez added the identify of Estrada, a future Corridor of Famer, to the listing of nice fighters he has toppled, which embrace 115-pound stalwarts Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and tremendous flyweight standout Sunny Edwards.
9. Shakur Stevenson
WBC light-weight champion (21-0, 10 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 8
Though Stevenson restricted the hard-punching Edwin De Los Santos to a CompuBox-record over 12 rounds of simply 40 punches landed, he was extensively criticized for the way boring his November victory was of their vacant 135-pound title bout. Stevenson, who turns 27 in June, gained a title in a 3rd weight division and can defend it in July at house in Newark, New Jersey, towards Artem Harutyunyan.
10. David Benavidez
Interim gentle heavyweight titleholder (29-0, 24 KOs) | Earlier rating: No. 9
Annoyed with ready round for his shot at undisputed 168-pound king Canelo Alvarez, “El Monstro” moved up in weight to outclass former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June. Benavidez, who later revealed accidents to each arms throughout coaching camp (which can have prevented him from scoring a stoppage), mentioned he is open to huge fights in both division transferring ahead.
Dropped out: Tyson Fury
Honorable point out: Teofimo Lopez Jr., Vasiliy Lomachenko, Fury, Devin Haney, Junto Nakatani