Jesse Rodriguez vs Sunny Edwards Preview December 16th, 2023
Unbeaten WBO Flyweight Champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez Franco of San Antonio, Texas will be taking on undefeated IBF Champion Sunny Edwards of England this Saturday, December 16th. The 12-rounder from Glendale, Arizona can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Rodriguez last fought in April when the former WBC Super Flyweight Champion beat Cristian Hernandez by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO Flyweight Belt. He defended his super flyweight crown twice as he beat Israel Gonzalez by unanimous decision and stopped fellow southpaw and former world champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the eighth round in June, 2022 after winning the vacant belt in February when he dropped former champ Carlos Cuadras in the third round on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Edwards last fought in June when he beat Andres Campos by unanimous decision.
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Rodriguez vs Edwards Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Sunny Edwards +190
- Jesse Rodriguez -240
My Pick
Rodriguez is currently the youngest pro world boxing champion as he’s just 23 years old. He enters the fight with a perfect mark of 18-0 with 11 Ko’s and possesses pretty good power in his arsenal with a current knockout ratio of 61.1 per cent, but has gone the distance in his last two fights and in three of his past four. He stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 67-inch reach and is the brother of former WBA Super Flyweight Champion Joshua Franco. He made his pro debut in 2017 and has boxed 94 rounds since.
Rodriguez enjoyed a fine amateur career which saw him win the 2015 U.S. National Junior Under-17 Championship at 101 lbs, capture a silver medal at the 2015 World Junior Under-17 Championships at 101 lbs and win the 2016 U.S. National Junior Under-17 Championships at 106 lbs. He stepped up in class against Carlos Cuadras earlier last year and passed the test with flying colours and was even more dominant in his win over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
Since turning pro and before meeting Cuadras, Rodriguez’s biggest wins were over the likes of Armando Vazquez, Rauf Aghayev, Cesar Torrijos, Marco Sustaita, Janiel Rivera and Saul Juarez. He had won six straight fights by knockout until Cuadras took him the distance and hasn’t really shown as much power in his last few fights. Rodriguez seems to be the real deal though with excellent speed, skills, a solid chin and enough power.
The 27-year-old Edwards hails from Sutton and enters the fight with a perfect record of 20-0 with 4 Kos. He’s boxed 161 rounds since turning pro in 2016 after a fine amateur career. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the English Junior & Youth National Championships in 2012, a silver at the Great Britain Junior Championships the same year, a gold at the 2013 and 2014 English Junior & Youth National Championships, gold at the 2015 English ABAE National Championships, bronze at the 2016 Gee-Bee Tournament and silver at the English ABAE National Championships in 2016.
Edwards possesses exceptional boxing skills and he’s needed them so far since he has little in the way of power with a current knockout ratio of just 20 per cent. He stands 5-feet-3-inches tall with a 60-inch reach which means he’s an inch shorter than Rodriguez and also gives up seven inches in reach. Since turning pro he’s also won the WBO European, WBO International, IBF International, and BBBofC British Super Flyweight Titles.
Edwards hasn’t really fought any elite world class contenders however as his biggest wins have been over Campos, Felix Alvarado, Muhammad Waseem, Jayson Mama, Ross Murray, Ryan Farrag, Junior Granados, Thomas Essomba, Marcel Braithwaite and Hiram Gallardo with his stiffest test being Moruti Mthalane, who he beat by unanimous decision for the title in April, 2021. Edwards has fought just three times outside of England as he’s fought twice in Dubai and his pro debut was held in Spain. This will be the fifth defence of his world title.
Prediction…
Rodriguez has proven to be a worthy world champion at his young age with wins over Cuadras, Rungvisai and Israel Gonzalez but the power he once displayed hasn’t been as evident lately. Edwards is a superb boxer who has no power but a good chin as he has been nailed before. He gives up seven inches in reach though and isn’t really the hardest guy to hit despite his skills. This could be a bit of a chess match to start off with but once Rodriguez realizes Edwards lacks the power to hurt him he should start to take more risks. I’m expecting Rodriguez to remain unbeaten Saturday night with another win as Edwards just doesn’t have the power to keep him at bay.
Edwards’ lack of power will be his downfall.
Play: Rodriguez -240 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jesse Rodriguez betting • Jesse Rodriguez Franco betting • Sunny Edwards betting