By: Sean Crose

Make no mistake about it. Jesse”Bam” Rodriguez was looked at as the future of boxing. Although he had already won world titles in two weight divisions, his quest for the WBA bantamweight title on Saturday night against defending champion Antonio Vargas was supposed to be another rung on the ladder that led to the peak of the sport. That’s right. Rodriguez entered the ring in Arizona Saturday night being lauded as boxing’s next prime star. Could he possibly become the elusive “household name?” If so, he’d probably be the first fighter to do so since Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Naturally, Vargas saw it as his mission to spoil the party. He was the defending champion after all and he felt he had a lot to prove. He may have been far from well known, but Vargas was certainly determined. He also wasn’t without a set of skills that made him notable. Were they notable for the likes of Rodriguez, though? Most probably felt the answer was no. Still, it was worth mentioning that Vargas didn’t have to face Rodriguez. The choice had been his. The truth as to who the night belonged to was revealed, however, beginning with the sound of the opening bell.

It became clear very early on that Vargas was certainly able to present a challenge to the celebrated Rodriguez. In fact, he gave Rodriguez a hard time. By the end of the first quarter of the fight, it appeared that it was Vargas, not Rodriguez who was running the show. That ended in the 5th though, when Rodriguez put Vargas down with a wonderous shot. Vargas not only beat the count though, he actually was able to carry on well through the remainder of the round. The end of the fight was coming sooner than Vargas wanted it to however. For in the 6th an explosive shot from Rodriguez put the defending champion down and out. It was now Rodriguez who owned to the WBA bantamweight title.

“He was a lot tougher than I expected,” Rodriguez said right after the fight had ended. “Thankfully I was able to get him out of there in 6.” As for the explosive knockout that had ended the fight Rodriguez spoke of it plainly. “I don’t look for the punch,” he said, “it just comes.” Sure enough, it was that kind of self-assurance that led the man to win the fight just as much as thunderous power did.

At this point everyone is looking for Rodriguez to face pound for pound great Naoya Inoue. It would be a wonderful fight, but it’s worth wondering if Rodriguez could take the Japanese warrior at this point. Vargas proved to be a tough opponent. How much tougher might Inoue be? Then again boxing is about challenging oneself, about rising to the occasion and defeating the odds. If Rodriguez chooses to go down that road against the likes of Inoue, the man deserves nothing but credit. Things may get interesting rather soon. Then again, this is boxing, so one never knows.

A fight between Rodriguez and Inoue would be thrilling for fans, but boxing is largely run by politics, not fan opinion. If that weren’t the case, there would be a lot more fights made between combatants the public would like to see square off against each other. Of course, a time delay between facing Vargas and Inoue might be a good thing for Rodriguez. Again, he didn’t look like somebody who could best Inoue handily if at all an Saturday. They call Inoue “The Monster” for a reason, after all. Then again, they call Rodriguez “Bam” for a reason, too.

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