JESSE Rodriguez is not aiming to follow in the footsteps of pound-for-pound legend Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez; but rather, the WBC world champion believes that he has already inherited the icon’s ‘bad ass’ reputation.
As he gears up for a mouth-watering unification showdown with WBO super-flyweight titlist Phumelela Cafu, ‘Bam’ finds himself in a somewhat reflective mood.
So much so, in fact, that after scoping out the competition in boxing’s lower divisions, the 25-year-old remains convinced that he is leading the pack.
Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs), has, after all, carved himself a place on most fans’ pound-for-pound lists following two scintillating stoppage victories, in particular, over Juan Francisco Estrada and Sunny Edwards.
Along with his wins over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Caudras, too, it is fair to say that the explosive two-division champion has blitzed through a selection of his sport’s most decorated legends.
But even when considering his meteoric rise, Rodriguez only wishes to further enhance his legacy and, in doing so, establish himself as the world’s leading pound-for-pound operator.
Before anything else, though, the American must first take care of business against Cafu, a ferocious puncher who comes off a split decision victory over Kosei Tanaka.
The pair will square off at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, with Rodriguez claiming an all-important home advantage on July 19.
Should he get past Cafu, the hard-hitting technician is then likely to target other unifications, particularly an eagerly-anticipated showdown with Fernando Martinez, at 115lbs.
And indeed, with that fiercely ambitious mindset, Rodriguez believes he now occupies a role that once belonged to former multi-weight champion Gonzalez, 52-4 (42 KOs).
“It’s bad ass seeing the smaller weights shine,” the southpaw said in a Matchroom Boxing press release. “When I was an amateur, it was Chocolatito that was doing it and I was like, ‘damn, this is cool.’ So for me to be in the same position, it means a lot.
“I would love to be number one pound-for-pound. There’s a lot of bragging rights being there, and I feel that I can go so far forward from where I am currently at.
“I’m never satisfied, there’s always more to gain and win, so I can go ten times higher from here. I would love to go undisputed, so that’s two more fights at 115lbs, so we’ll see how it pans out.”
