Juan Francisco Estrada Was The Only Fight That Bam Rodriguez Wanted, Says Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia, the trainer of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, knows his fighter only wants to face the best, which is why he is fighting WBC junior bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada next.

The two will battle on June 29th at the FootPrint Center in Glendale, Arizona, with the bout being telecast on DAZN.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) recently vacated his WBO and IBF flyweight world titles ahead of his bout with Estrada. During Rodriguez’s breakout year in 2022, he won the vacant WBC junior bantamweight title by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras. In his next fight, he stopped Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. 

Rodriguez, 24, vacated that title in 2023 after securing two titles at flyweight, with his last fight being a highly impressive technical knockout of the previously unbeaten Sunny Edwards in December.

“You know what, that is what ‘Bam’ wants,” Garcia told BoxingScene. “‘Bam’ wants to fight the best. When I told him his [fight date] was June 29th, and I told him it was a possibility it could be ‘Gallo’ Estrada, he told me, ‘look Robert, I just had my newborn baby, so if it is not against ‘Gallo’, I would rather wait a few more months to fight. If it isn’t ‘Gallo’ I don’t want to fight.’

“Matchroom did their job, ‘Gallo’ Estrada did his job and the fight is now lined up,” said Garcia. “We are going to have probably one of the best fights of the year.”

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) has not fought since beating Roman “Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in 2022, his second victory in three bouts with “Chocolatito”. The 34-year-old veteran turned pro in 2008, back when Rodriguez was an eight-year-old pup. 

“[Estrada] is a legend and he is not going to be an easy opponent,” Garcia went on. “Before the fight was agreed and signed on, I hadn’t studied anything on ‘Gallo’. Everybody was already asking me, what’s your game plan, what do you think? Well, now that I am studying ‘Gallo’ it is hard – it is going to be hard, that guy is tough.”

Though Garcia recognises that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is Mexico’s biggest draw but Estrada might well be the country’s best.

“I think ‘Gallo’ Estrada is the most talented fighter in Mexico right now,” stated Garcia. “Even including Canelo [Saul Alvarez], even though Canelo is the face of boxing, and the most profitable fighter in Mexico, but I think ‘Gallo’ could be the most talented fighter.