RODRIGUEZ: MY CONFIDENCE IS SO HIGH AFTER CHOCOLATITO SPARRING
| Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez says his confidence has soared to new heights after sparring with Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez ahead of his blockbuster clash with WBC World and Ring Magazine Super-Flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday June 29, live worldwide on DAZN.
Two-weight World ruler Rodriguez (19-0 12 KOs) is looking to reclaim the WBC strap he won in February 2022 by outclassing Carlos Cuadras in Arizona to be crowned World champion for the first time and he defended the crown in stunning fashion four months later with a stoppage win over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on his San Antonio home patch, knocking over two of the ‘new Four Kings’ of boxing. ‘Bam’ can tick off a third king on June 29 with victory over ‘El Gallo’, and though a showdown with Chocolatito in the future is unlikely with their close ties to Teiken Boxing and Mr Honda, the pair did share the ring, albeit behind closed doors last week in California. There were no cameras present when Rodriguez and Chocolatito locked horns for eight rounds of elite level sparring, but both Rodriguez and trainer Robert Garcia told media at Tuesday’s media workout at the Matchroom Churchill Boxing Gym in LA that it was ‘pay-per-view worthy’, and following that work with the Nicaraguan, who has shared 36 epic rounds with Estrada, ‘Bam’ has even more confidence in his belief that he’ll have his hand raised in Phoenix once again. “Chocolatito fought Estrada three times so he’s very familiar with his style, he knows what he does right and wrong,” said Rodriguez. “To share the ring with him was a huge opportunity. We got eight solid rounds in, and each one was fireworks, so my confidence is even higher going into the fight knowing I’ve shared the ring with Chocolatito. |