Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has informed the IBF that he’s relinquishing his flyweight title ahead of his fight against WBC junior bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada on June 29 in Glendale, Arizona.
Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs), 2023 ESPN’s No. 1 fighter under the age of 25, defeated Sunny Edwards by ninth-round TKO in December to add the IBF belt to his WBO title. Rodriguez has held at least one world title since February 2022.
Rodriguez, 24, a southpaw of San Antonio, Texas, won the WBC junior bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Cuadras in February 2022. He made two defenses: an eighth-round TKO win over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai four months later and a unanimous decision over Israel Gonzalez in September of that year. He then moved down to flyweight and won the WBO belt by unanimous decision against Christian Gonzalez, before unifying the IBF belt against Edwards.
After his fight with Edwards, promoter Eddie Hearn praised Rodriguez, saying “the kid is super special.”
“Up close, that was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” Hearn said. “You talk about pound-for-pound great fighters. Sometimes the lower divisions don’t get the credit they deserve.”
In a news release on Friday, the IBF wished “Jesse Rodriguez continued success in his boxing career.”
IBF No. 1 contender Angel Ayala and No. 3 Dave Apolinaro have 30 days, starting on March 28, to reach an agreement to fight for the vacant IBF title, according to the organization.