Jesse Rodriguez scores stunning eighth-round KO of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Jesse Rodriguez evidently is the real deal.
In February, he moved up two weight classes on short notice to outpoint former 115-pound titleholder Carlos Cuadras in an upset. On Saturday in San Antonio, his hometown, he out did himself: He outclassed and then stopped durable two-time champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in eight rounds.
To say that the 22-year-old has arrived is an understatement.
No one is shocked that Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs) was able to beat Sor Rungvisai (50-6-1, 43 KOs); he was favored to win successfully defend his secondary WBC title. It was how he took down the junior bantamweight stalwart from Thailand that was so dazzling.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez with the TKO 8-round victory over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai , HERES THE KNOCKOUT MOMENT ! @210bam #Dazn pic.twitter.com/ECSQekGkru
— Carolina Teague (@carolinateague_) June 26, 2022
Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs) outboxed Sor Rungvisai (50-6-1, 43 KOs) from the outset, as expected. The American is the better technician.
The hard-punching Sor Rungvisai’s game plan was obvious: Wear his naturally smaller opponent down with pressure and power and then take over the fight in the later rounds. Well, surprise, surprise: The opposite happened.
Rodriguez boxed beautifully, landing crisp jabs to set up accurate power shots round after round after round and there was nothing Sor Rungvisai could do about it. And he was always conscious of his defense, using his feet to create difficult angles for Sor Rungvisai.
That’s how the fight went, with Rodriguez landing more and more punishing shots and Sor Rungvisai missing most of his.
Rodriguez put Sor Rungvisai down with a left hook to the temple in Round 7, although Sor Rungvisai slipped at the moment the punch landed. Still, by this time, it was was clear that the Thai fighter was wearing down.
Then came the stunning conclusion. Rodriguez continued to land thudding blows on Sor Rungvisai’s sturdy chin but a man can take only so much. Finally, with Sor Rungvisai’s back against the ropes in the eighth round, Rodriguez unloaded a barrage of accurate power shots that gave referee Mark Calo-oy no choice but to stop the fight at 1:50.
Rodriguez’s hometown fans at Tech Port Arena, well aware of the gem that fell into their laps, went nuts and he dropped to the canvas — where he was mobbed by his team — almost in disbelief. But it was true. He had just followed his victory over Cuadras by stopping a beast who arguably has Hall of Fame credentials.
How is he going to top this?
Well, the names of the two top 115-pounders – Juan Francisco Estrada (the WBC’s “franchise” champion”) and Roman Gonzalez – popped up after the fight. That sort of matchup for Rodriguez would’ve seemed ridiculous a year ago. Not now. Not only does a fight with one or both of them make sense, he would be given a good chance of winning.
Rodriguez also has talked about going back down to a more natural 112 pounds, which also makes sense.
No matter what he and his team decide to do going forward, one thing is certain: After his accomplishments over the past four-plus months, the boxing world will be paying close attention.
