When you have a conversation amongst boxing historians about the minimumweight class to super flyweight over the past 15 years, one name has consistently stood out: the future Hall of Famer Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. If there’s one fighter that stands to succeed him, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (22-0, 16 KOs) is doing everything he can to become that name.
This isn’t about a fighter who passes through a division for a fight or two as he moves up to bantamweight and beyond. We are talking about a fighter who has scored significant victories in these smaller divisions, all before turning 25. When you examine Gonzalez’s achievements by age 25, he was already a two-division world champion (105 & 108 lbs.) and held the Ring Magazine title at 108 lbs. in 2010.
Rodriguez is on the same trajectory, holding titles as a two-division world champion (112 & 115 lbs.) and currently being the Ring Magazine champion at just 25 years old. Those are impressive accomplishments, but it’s in the ring where Rodriguez’s skillful techniques truly prove why many consider him the heir to Gonzalez.
On Saturday night, Rodriguez faced Fernando Martinez, the undefeated WBA super flyweight champion who had never been stopped. Rodriguez put on a boxing clinic before knocking him out in the tenth round. That victory gave Rodriguez his third title in the division, with one more to go before he can become an undisputed champion. While that achievement is impressive, what was most remarkable was how he was able to break down Martinez before the fight ended.
Prior to the Rodriguez fight, Martinez had beaten the great Kazuto Ioka not once but twice, so heading into fight night, he was Rodriguez’s toughest competition on paper to date. Once the bell rang, you would think Martinez was just another contender. Rodriguez fought as if he was in the matrix, as he saw Martinez’s combinations coming from a mile away and used his elite footwork to make subtle shifts and execute his punches precisely where he wanted them to land.
As they often say in boxing, the great ones make other great fighters look average, and that is what Rodriguez did. It’s difficult to find anyone at super flyweight or bantamweight who could beat Rodriguez, and if he can become an undisputed champion at 115 and at least unify at 118, then we will place Rodriguez in the conversation as the fighter who takes the torch from Chocolatito and elevates the sport to the next level.
This all may sound like hyperbole, but if you’ve ever seen Rodriguez fight, you’ll quickly realize that this is much closer to the truth than anything else. Heading into 2026, Rodriguez will look to secure that last title to become undisputed, but for now, he seems to be the heir to the throne once occupied by the Nicaraguan legend Gonzalez for many years.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
