Despite being somewhat wronged by two of the judges, who had Estrada ahead when the fight ended, the new WBC junior bantamweight champion was promoted to the fifth spot in the prestigious Ring Magazine pound for pound rankings. Interestingly, Rodriguez is ranked No.1 behind Estrada in the WBC junior bantamweight rankings, as of the time of writing, which may soon be updated.
BREAKING 💥‼️ Bam Rodriguez moves up in the NEW! Ring Magazine Pound 4 Pound rankings
1️⃣ 🇺🇦@usykaa 👑
2️⃣ 🇯🇵 @naoyainoue_410
3️⃣ 🇺🇸 @terencecrawford
4️⃣ 🇲🇽 @Canelo
5️⃣ 🇺🇸 @210bam
6️⃣ 🇷🇺 Artur Beterbiev
7️⃣ 🇷🇺 @bivol_d
8️⃣ 🇺🇸 @Gervontaa
9️⃣ 🇺🇸 @ErrolSpenceJr
🔟 🇯🇵 @BoxerJunto— Bible of Boxing (@ringmagazine) July 2, 2024
But hey, ‘Bam’ isn’t even in the WBA, IBF, and WBO junior bantamweight rankings. He was ranked tenth in Ring Magazine after beating Sunny Edwards last December, though. Anyway, here’s the scoop on the new Ring pound for pound list: Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Gervonta Davis, Errol Spence Jr., and Junto Nakatani.
Check this out: Crawford, Beterbiev, and Bivol have upcoming fights lined up, so depending on how they perform, the rankings could see some changes down the road. And get this—Rodriguez’s promoter is already discussing a potential showdown with Inoue. Things are heating up!
Rodriguez vs. the Japanese ‘Monster’: Is it possible?
You see, Naoya Inoue has pretty much conquered the super bantamweight division, reaching undisputed status and all. Now, there’s talk that he might step up in weight to take on the bigger guys in the upper division. Exciting times ahead for boxing fans, huh? At the same time, Eddie Hearn told Matchroom Boxing, “Jesse versus [Naoya] Inoue is a fantasy fight, but it is also an incredible fight. They will probably end up missing each other, but who knows?”
But here’s the thing: Hearn believes that if Inoue remains at 122 pounds for the next few years, a matchup with Rodriguez is inevitable. Praising the 24-year-old champion, Hearn highlighted how boxers in the lower weight classes don’t get the respect they deserve, just to say, “Jesse Rodriguez should be mentioned, as I said in the ring, in the same sentence as Terence Crawford, [Oleksandr] Usyk, and [Naoya] Inoue—he is that good.”
After beating Juan Francisco Estrada, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has totally shown he’s up there with the best, no matter the boxing divisions. Just look at his rise in the Ring Magazine rankings! So, what do you reckon? Should he be ranked higher than Davis and Bivol? What’s your take on it?