Rodriguez replaces ill Sor Rungvisai, will face Cuadras for vacant WBC jr. bantam title

Fight headlines Saturday night as DAZN kicks off 2022

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It’s been an eventful few days for flyweight Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, one of the best up-and-comers in boxing and on the 2021 top prospect list.

The Robert Garcia-trained Rodriguez (14-0, 10 KOs) was set to face Fernando Diaz in a 10-rounder on the undercard of the vacant WBC junior bantamweight title fight between former titleholders Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras on Saturday night (DAZN) at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

On Friday, Rodriguez (14-0, 10 KOs), 22, a southpaw from San Antonio, finalized a promotional contract with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and on Sunday he suddenly found himself in the main event, moving up one division to face Cuadras for the vacant world title.

On Monday, Matchroom made the formal announcement of the change to the card. Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KOs), 35, who had arrived in Phoenix from Thailand this past Wednesday, withdrew because of a non-Covid-19-related illness.

Rodriguez could not pass up the opportunity to fight for a world title and save the show, which had already seen the original junior middleweight main event of Jessie Vargas against Liam Smith be postponed when Vargas came down with Covid-19 and the Sor Rungvisai-Cuadras bout was elevated to main event status.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be fighting for the WBC world title,” said Rodriguez, whose brother, Joshua Franco, holds the WBA “regular” junior bantamweight belt. “It’s always been a dream of mine to become world champion and that dream will become reality this weekend. On Saturday night, San Antonio will have another World champion.”

Cuadras (39-4-1 27 KOs), 33, of Mexico, was aiming to regain the title he once owned in a rematch with Sor Rungvisai, whom he had won the belt from via eight-round technical decision in May 2014.

Now, Cuadras is taking on a much younger, albeit smaller man.

“I heard Rungvisai got sick,” Cuadras said. “We arrived with my team (Sunday) night to Phoenix. I hope he is stable and without complications. For my part, I’m ready and grateful to Teiken, Matchroom and the WBC for the opportunity to fight Jesse, who is a good fighter.”

Hearn has had to make some quick fixes to shows due to illnesses. This change comes a week after flyweight titlist Julio Cesar Martinez agreed to step in to face Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez on March 5 when junior bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada dropped out after coming down with Covid-19.

“Once again, my hat goes off to both Carlos, Jesse and their teams for making this happen,” Hearn said. “Both camps and fighters were quick to get this fight together after Srisaket was taken ill and unable to fight, and we wish him well.

“But what a fight we have. Carlos has the chance to become a two-time world champion and eye up the winner of the Chocolatito-Martinez fight, and Jesse has been chomping at the bit to get a world title shot and victory on Saturday night catapults him into the mix for huge fights in 2022. The lower weights always deliver, and fate may well have sent us another barn-burner to light up Phoenix on Saturday night.”

Diaz (10-1-1, 3 KOs), 21, of Riverside, California, will remain on the card and face Lorenzo Smith (10-0, 8 KOs), 26, in a 10-rounder.

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