Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez grabbed our attention in 2022. He went from promising flyweight prospect to super flyweight champion in the blink of an eye. But before he went on to grab a world title at a higher weight, then shrinking back down to get his hands on another, Robert Garcia, his longtime trainer, knew that Rodriguez was a freak of nature and a gifted kid.
It’s easy to get carried away with a talent like Rodriguez. From the outside looking in, he checks all of the boxes. But while some are hoping that he keeps his career in the fast lane, Garcia wants to slow things down just a tad bit.
“He has already beat a couple world champions, a couple Hall of Famers I could say,” Garcia told 210
boxing Tv. “He’s 23 so we’re trying to take our time.”
Garcia’s definition of slowing things down is throwing Rodriguez into a unification clash with Sunny Edwards. Rodriguez already has a pair of wins over Carlos Cuadras and Wisaksil Wangek but a win over Edwards would be a thing of beauty.
Edwards isn’t the type to sit back and allow others to compliment him without wholeheartedly agreeing. The 27-year-old knows he’s terrific and wants his peers and fans to acknowledge his talent perpetually.
Garcia, to a large extent, agrees with Edwards but he doesn’t believe that he has what it takes to beat his fighter. As for Rodriguez’s immediate future, a spot on virtually every pound-for-pound list seems like his likely destiny.
Garcia isn’t the mendacious type. He loves working with Rodriguez and doesn’t believe for a single second that he won’t be considered one of the very best, regardless of weight classes. However, the boxing landscape is flooded with top-notch fighters. So while Garcia is hesitant to say that Rodriguez will be the best pound-for-pound fighter around, he’s convinced that the 23-year-old will at least be on the same playing field.
“There’s so much young talent. I can’t say two years from now he’s gonna be pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world. We got guys like Shakur, we got guys like Tank, we got guys like Devin Haney who are very young and are up there too but I know Bam will be in the top five in the next couple of years.”
Rodriguez will collide with Edwards on December 16th in Glendale, Arizona.