Jesse Rodriguez not feeling the pressure ahead of title defense: ‘I was born for this’

Jesse Rodriguez must have nerves of steel. He had no problem stepping in as a last minute opponent against Carlos Cuadras in February and looked sensational in winning his first world title against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai last summer.

Rodriguez is now a day away from fighting on the biggest stage of his career and is eager to further cement his status as one of the best fighters in the lower-weight division in boxing.

The undefeated Rodriguez, who is ranked No. 3 according to The Ring, will defend his WBC junior bantamweight world title on Saturday night at the Israel Rodriguez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 12-round bout will precede the main event bout between Ring Magazine super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and unified middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin.

Both fights will be broadcast live on DAZN PPV.

Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs) fought a nearly flawless fight on June 25, knocking down and stopping Sor Rungvisai before a sold-out, partisan crowd in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. The knockout victory over Sor Rungvisai came more than four months after Rodriguez knocked down and defeated Carlos Cuadras to win the vacant WBC world title.

Both wins over fighters who held world title belts and were ranked were impressive in themselves. The southpaw Rodriguez is one of the main contenders for Fighter of the Year.

It has been going well for Rodriguez, who recently signed a co-promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of Saturday’s card. Rodriguez hasn’t been overwhelmed by the increased media attention and prominence, taking it all in and saying he doesn’t take it for granted.

“I don’t feel pressure because I feel like I was born for this,” Rodriguez said earlier this week. “I belong to these big stages, it’s where I feel comfortable. Headlining in San Antonio, Canelo-GGG III co-star, this is where I want to be. It’s been part of the plan and it’s great to see it unfold. There are expectations on me, all eyes are on me. I know I need to do my best, but that excites me.

“Canelo is the face of boxing, so to be the one to pull back the curtain on that fight is incredible. A lot of fans are going to be able to see what I can do. I’m only 22 years old to be doing the things I’m doing, beating Carlos and Rungvisai, two of the four kings in Super-Fly. I never look back and feel like I need to appreciate what I do, but I minimize what I do because I’m a humble guy.”

After the knockout victory over Sor Rungvisai, there was talk of Rodriguez dropping in weight to 112 pounds. The WBO world champion, Junto Nakatani, was sitting in the ringside.

Rodriguez’s older brother, WBA world champion Joshua Franco, is also campaigning at 115 pounds. The WBA had ordered Franco to fight Ring magazine champion Juan Francisco Estrada, but Estrada chose to fight Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, a fight rumored to take place on December 3. The WBA stripped Estrada and elevated Franco to full title.

There is Rodriguez’s goal of wanting to unify the division, but that remains to be seen. Instead, Rodríguez focuses on the present. He must get past Israel Rodriguez (28-4-1, 11 KOs) of Los Cabos, Mexico, who is undefeated in his last four bouts since he lost to Gonzalez in October 2020.

“I’m right where I need to be, it’s just the beginning and the sky is the limit for me,” said Rodriguez, who is trained by Robert Garcia. “I can’t tell you how far I can go because I don’t know how to stop. I want to be one of those fighters that 20 years from now people say, ‘Remember ‘Bam’ Rodriguez? He was a bad guy. One of those legends.

Word is that if Rodriguez emerges victorious, as expected, on Saturday, he will appear on the same card as Estrada-Rodriguez III on December 3. A dominant win could continue to solidify his status at 115 pounds, but it could also be Rodriguez’s chance to win more fans as well.

“I feel like I’m getting the recognition that I deserve, and Saturday is the perfect platform to show everyone that I’m the real deal,” Rodriguez said.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County, California, Star newspaper. He can be contacted by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing