21-year-old Bam Rodriguez had gotten the highest of praise. Both legendary trainer Robert Garcia and blue-chip prospect Vergil Ortiz both called Bam the best fighter in the camp. That camp, Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, is home to not only Vergil Ortiz and Mikey Garcia, but also Jose Carlos Ramirez, Super Flyweight champ Josh Franco and countless other elite-level fighters.
Rodriguez, the 21-year-old San Antonio native, is considered by those in that camp as the best fighter in that camp. That's a lot to live up to. The 21-year-old phenome was supposed to battle Estaben Bermudez for the WBA 108-pound title on the Garcia-Martin undercard. An opportunity to prove himself to the world on a major card. Bermudez, then abruptly backed out of the fight for just about a week. He was then given a fight with Jose Alejandro Burgos. A rugged opponent who had gone 9 rounds with Bam's older brother Josh Franco back in 2020 in their hometown of San Antonio. The distraction and disappointment would have shaken many fighters. Not Bam though it was Rodriguez's time to shine and he wasn't going to let it slip Rodriguez showed the boxing world exactly why Garcia and stablemates like Ortiz speak so highly of him.
Like a seasoned pro, the 21-year-old Texan methodically dissected and beat down his rugged but overmatched opponent. The southpaw landed a barrage of power shots from a litany of angels, never coming straight in, Rodriguez used the side doors to perfection scoring a sensational knockdown early in the fourth round. Laser-focused upon Burgos beating the count and convincing Caiz he was able to continue. The San Antonian seamlessly closed the show, unloading a straight left the sent Burgos helplessly stumbling into the ropes and bringing Caiz in to wave off the bout. The Compubox statistics tell the intriguing story of just how dominant and impressive Bam scoring on 103-of-218 (47%) shots including 74-of-127 power punches (58%) while holding Burgos to 37-of-307 total punches (12%).
Rodriguez has said he is overdue for a title shot, and he isn't wrong. The phenome is now 14-0 (10) has won six in a row by stoppage and has gotten better and better as the stage has gotten bigger and opposition has gotten stiffer. A look into the landscape of the 108-pound division looks favorable for Rodriguez. On the same card, Jonathan Gonzalez captured the WBO belt by shocking Elwin Soto. Estaban Bermudez holds the WBA "regular", Hiroto Kyoguchi holds the Super title, Felix Alvardo holds the IBF belt and Masamichi Yabuki just captured the WBC strap. Gonzalez and Bermudez have both been knocked out previously and all four fighters seemingly fight into the hands of the hard-hitting southpaw from San Antonio.