WBC Special Preview: Rodriguez vs Guevara

WBC STATISTICS

WBC Super Flyweight World Championship

November 9, 2024 / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Wells Fargo Center

MATCHROOM BOXING + TEIKEN PROMOTION PRESENT:

WBC SUPER FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS

1. Rafael Orono (Venezuela)     1980 – 1981
2. Chulho Kim (Korea)               1981 – 1982
3. Rafael Orono (Venezuela)     1982 – 1983*
4. Payao Pooltarat (+) (Thai)      1983 – 1984
5. Jiro Watanabe (Japan)           1984 – 1986
6. Gilberto Roman (+) (Mexico)  1986 – 1987
7. Santos Laciar (Argentina)       1987
8. Jose Bebis Rojas (Colombia) 1987 – 1988
9. Gilberto Roman (+) (Mex)       1988 – 1989*
10. Nana Konadu (Ghana)          1989 – 1990
11. Sungkil Moon (Korea)           1990 – 1993
12. Jose Luis Bueno (Mexico)    1993 – 1994
13. Hiroshi Kawashima (Japan)  1994 – 1997
14. Gerry Peñalosa (Phil)           1997 – 1998
15. Injoo Cho (Korea)                 1998 – 2000
16. Masamori Tokuyama (Jap)   2000 – 2004
17. Katsushige Kawashima (Jap) 2004 – 2005
18. Masamori Tokuyama (Jap)   2005 – 2006 *
19. Cristian Mijares (Mexico)      2006 – 2008
20. Vic Darchinyan (Australia)     2008 – 2010
21. Tomas Rojas (Mexico) (Interim) 2009
22. Vic Darchinyan (Aust)           2009 – 2010*
23. Tomas Rojas (Mexico)          2010 – 2011*
24. Suriyan Por Chockchai (Thai) 2011 – 2012
25. Yota Sato (Japan)                2012 – 2013
26. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Thai) 2013 – 2014
27. Carlos Cuadras (Mexico)      2014 – 2016
28. Roman Gonzalez (Nic)         2016 – 2017
29. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Thai) 2017 – 2019*
30. Juan Francisco Estrada (Mex) Franchise 2019 –
31. Jesse Rodriguez (US)           2022 – 2022
32. Juan Francisco Estrada (Mex) 2022 – 2024
33. Pedro Guevara (Mex)(Interim) 2024-
34. Jesse Rodriguez (US)           2024 –

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE SUPER FLYWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY

26 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, eight of whom have regained the title: Rafael Orono (Venezuela), Gilberto Roman (Mexico), Masamori Tokuyama (Japan), Vic Darchinyan (Australia), Tomas Rojas (Mexico), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Thailand), Juan Francisco Estrada (Mexico), Jesse Rodriguez (USA).

122 super flyweight world title fights have been held in WBC history.

WBC SUPER FLYWEIGHT TOP 10 CHAMPIONS

1. Gilberto Roman (Mexico)
2. Santos Laciar (Argentina)
3. Jiro Watanabe (Japan)
4. Chulho Kim (Korea)
5. Cristian Mijares (Mexico)
6. Gerry Peñalosa (Philippines)
7. Sungkil Moon (Korea)
8. Rafael Orono (Venezuela)
9. Carlos Cuadras (Mexico)
10. Jose Luis Bueno (Mexico)

MEMORABLE WBC SUPER FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS

June 29, 2024  Jesse Rodriguez KO7 Juan Francisco Estrada – Phoenix, Arizona

Dec. 3 2022     Juan Francisco Estrada W12 Roman Gonzalez – Glendale, Arizona

Sep. 17, 2022   Jesse Rodriguez W12 Israel Gonzalez – Las Vegas, Nevada

June 25, 2022  Jesse Rodriguez TKO8 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai – San Antonio, Texas

Feb. 5, 2022     Jesse Rodriguez W12 Carlos Cuadras – Phoenix, Arizona

Mar. 13, 2021   Juan Francisco Estrada W12 Roman Gonzalez – Dallas, Texas

Oct. 23, 2020   Juan Francisco Estrada TKO11 Carlos Cuadras – Mexico City, Mexico

Apr. 26, 2019   Juan Francisco Estrada W12 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai – Inglewood, California

Feb. 24, 2018   Srisaket Sor Rungvisai W12 Juan Francisco Estrada – Inglewood, California

Sep. 9, 2017    Srisaket Sor Rungvisai KO4 Roman Gonzalez – Carson, California

Mar. 18, 2017   Srisaket Sor Rungvisai W12 Roman Gonzalez – New York, New York

Sep. 10, 2016   Roman Gonzalez W12 Carlos Cuadras – Inglewood, California

May 31, 2014   Carlos Cuadras TW8 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai – Iztacalco, Mexico

Nov. 15, 2013   Srisaket Sor Rungvisai TKO9 Hirofumi Mukai – Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Feb. 7, 2009     Vic Darchinyan TKO11 Jorge Arce – Anaheim, California

Aug. 30, 2008   Cristian Mijares TKO3 Chatchai Sasakul – Monterrey, Mexico

Feb. 27, 2006   Masamori Tokuyama W12 Jose Navarro – Osaka, Japan

June 28, 2004  Katsushige Kawashima TKO1 Masamori Tokuyama – Yokohama, Japan

Jan. 2, 2000     In-Joo Cho W12 Gerry Peñalosa – Seoul, South Korea

Nov. 23, 1997   Gerry Peñalosa KO10 Young-Joo Cho – Seongnam City, South Korea

Jan. 18, 1995   Hiroshi Kawashima W12 Jose Luis Bueno – Yokohama, Japan

Nov. 13, 1993   Jose Luis Bueno W12 Sungkil Moon – Pohang City, South Korea

June 9, 1990    Sungkil Moon TKO8 Gilberto Roman – Seoul, South Korea

Jan. 20, 1009   Sungkil Moon TW9 Nana Konadu – Seoul, South Korea

Nov. 7, 1989    Nana Konadu W12 Gilberto Roman – Mexico City, Mexico

Apr. 8, 1988     Gilberto Roman W12 Sugar Baby Rojas – Miami Beach, Florida

May 16, 1987   Santos Laciar TKO11 Gilberto Roman – Reims, France

Mar. 30, 1986   Gilberto Roman W12 Jiro Watanabe – Hyogo, Japan

Jul. 5, 1984      Jiro Watanabe W12 Payao Poontarat – Osaska, Japan

Nov. 27, 1983   Payao Poontarat W12 Rafael Orono – Pattaya, Thailand

May 9, 1983     Rafael Orono W12 Raul Valdez – Caracas, Venezuela

Apr. 22, 1981   Chulho Kim W15 Jiro Watanabe – Seoul, South Korea

Feb. 2, 1980     Rafael Orono W15 Seung-Hoon Lee – Caracas, Venezuela

Bam Vs Pedrin – War Of The Ages

By James Blears

Age isn’t a number and it’s certainly not a guessing game in Boxing, at which you don’t play, ploy, toy or even joust! That would be the mistake of a freelancer.

This is a factor to mull over and carefully consider, viz the intriguing fight between WBC super-flyweight champion Jessie ‘’Bam Rodriguez who is fighting a mandatory defence against Pedro ‘’Pedrin’’ Guevara on November 9^th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Southpaw Jessie is still a youthful 24, bursting with energy, Joi de vie, vim and vitality. His record is 20-0, 13 KO’s, and so far, he’s been in a tearing hurry to win the WBC flyweight and super-flyweight titles. His KO percentage is sixty-five percent. Bam can slam! So far, he’s fought one hundred and ten rounds.

Pedro is thirty- five. His record is 42-4-1, 22 KO’s. His KO percentage is 52.38 percent. He’s fought three hundred and twenty- nine rounds. The ‘’Old Un’’ is still a ‘’Good Un.’’ He learned valuable lessons from his early IBF challenge to John Riel Casimero in his home town of Mazatlan. Down in the first from a left hook, he got up to lose a SD. But that was just the end of the beginning.

Some boxers are at their finest when they’re youthful, but then fade quickly as they age. They flare up like a match, burn bright and then crinkle, burning their fingers and clenched fists, as the flame tapers down. While others improve with age like a fine wine, cognac or single malt whisky. Part of it is to do with how they train, take care of their bodies and refrain from the heady temptations delivered on an enticing silver platter as the fruit slithers of success. Some are boxers, rather than fighters and don’t absorb as much wear and tear castigation along the long hard road to the beanstalk.

During the 1984 US Presidential Election, seventy-three-year old Ronald Regan adroitly and deftly parried the expected age question, which he knew was inevitably coming, even making his fifty-six year old rival Walter Mondale wince and laugh, by saying; ‘’I will NOT make age an issue of this campaign. I’m not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience!’’ He went on to win by a landside.

Of course, that was politics and as GGG points out: ‘’This is Boxing.’’ As Vitali Klitschko once wryly remarked: ‘’At least in boxing, most of the punches are frontally delivered… face to face!’’

Muhammad Ali quizzically suggested: ‘’Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.’’

While ‘’Big’’ George Foreman insisted: ‘’The question isn’t at what age I want to retire. It’s at what income.’’

Beguiling and suggestively appealing, but no one, even all-time Greats are privy to the evergree- apple of Eternal Youth. One Boxing maxim is that a good Big Un usually beats a good Little Un. There isn’t so much informed opinion available, about a Golden Oldie against a Young Whipper-Snapper.

It’s been ten years since Pedro won the WBC light-flyweight Green and Gold Belt, left vacant by a growing, filling out Naoya Inoue. In his first foray outside Mexico, Pedro went to Japan to defeat Akira Yaegashi with a crunching left hook to the body in round seven.

Two successful defences followed. He polished off overmatched Richard Claveras in round one and then a UD victory over mandatory challenger and compatriot Ganigan Lopez. But then, he lost his crown to Yu Kimura via a SD. He bounced back to win the next four, but then lost a MD to Kenshiro Teraji for the WBC light flyweight title.

Opportunity finally came knocking again and it was at last year’s WBC Convention when he and fellow Sinaloan Carlos ‘’El Principe’’ Cuadras fought for the World Boxing Council Interim super flyweight title. Pedro who had come down with a fever and a rising temperature which hampered him, was knocked down in rounds two and six, but fought back valiantly to lose a SD.

Carlos was then scheduled to fight for the vacant Interim title but suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in training and fate and accompanying destiny provided Pedro an opportunity to go to Perth in Australia and to defeat Andrew Maloney via SD, slowing down and neutralizing the speedster with some clouting body shots.

Pedro cheerfully says he knows he’s the Underdog for this upcoming fight against Bam, which motivates and fires him up no end. So, to bridge the age gap he’s been undergoing a spartan training regime perched in the chilly altitude climes of Jilotepec. Estado de Mexico, for the best part of three months. He was going to fight on October 11^th and had already spent three weeks there. But then the Bam fight was successfully negotiated and he’s therefore added the extra time stint on.

Pedro sees this as his second coming and is determined to exploit what he’s convinced is the good fortune of this Autumnal and God given chance.

He now confronts Bam who most recently blasted out Juan Francisco ‘’Gallo’’ Estrado who at thirty- four is not a Spring Chicken ether. In June after an almost two-years hiatus, Gallo who had lost his edge due to ring rustiness, lost his WBC super-flyweight Title to Bam, not being able to recover from a monumental left hook rib-bender to the body in round seven. Prior to this been decked in round four and defiantly returned the favour in round six as Bam became momentarily careless. It didn’t check Bam’s relentless progress. Gallo has since decided to campaign at bantam.

Bam has been getting better and better, inflicting a series of grand slams. Fighting CC on only days of notice and moving up from fly to super-fly, he adjusted brilliantly and dropped Carlos in round three on the way to a convincing UD victory for the vacant WBC title.

Then, former champion and fellow southpaw Sri Saket Sor Rungvisai, who he decked with a numbing left hook in the seventh and polished off in the following round with a TKO. A successful defence via a UD win over durable Israel Gonzalez.

Back to fly to take on Cristian Gonzalez for the WBO title, vacated by Junto Nakatani and a painful jolt, which proved a test of character as well as fortitude, because he suffered a broken jaw in the sixth but soldiered on to win a UD, then needing surgery.

In defeating Sunny Edwards he added the IBF title. Sunny suffered a fracture of the left medinal orbital bone in the second from a searing right southpaw lead and was thereafter seeing double. Sunny was dropped by a straight left in the eighth and his corner wisely pulled him out at the end of the ninth. He’d also collected a gash over and under his left eye and a nick on the bridge of his nose. Then it was Gallo Estrada’s turn to be overwhelmed.

Gallo decided to try and fight fire with fire and the toe- to toe action forced him back on the ropes. He abandoned his boxing repertoire and it cost him dear.

Pedro says he’s determined not to follow a similar going to war course. He says he’s going to be fast, aiming to be slick, using his jab and trying his utmost to give the youngster a tempered pot shotting comprehensive boxing lesson, while avoiding mistakes and focusing, by drawing upon availing himself of all the guile his accumulated experience gained from the school of hard knocks over the years. He’s carefully studied Jessie James Bam Rodriguez and says he won’t get involved in a ‘’Gun slinging’’ OK Coral firepower brawl. Pedro is durable and resourceful. He’s never been stopped during his long career, which started way back in 2008.

He says he’s going to wrap up warm for the early onset of winter on the US Eastern seaboard and he will be focused on what’s surely coming his way. Bam is not infallible, but at his age he appears to be in fatigable.