Written by Sean Close
“This fight is going to be exciting,” WBO flyweight titlist Jesse Rodriguez said on the eve of this Saturday’s bout with undefeated IBF flyweight champion Sonny Edwards. “The sky is the limit for me. Anyone, anywhere. He (Edwards) is a very good fighter, very technical, very skillful, fast, smart. I knew I would meet him someday. , and here it is. He’s never dated someone with as much skill as me, plus power. I don’t care what it is, I’m going to win, I takes his belt and I take his “0”. I’m going to knock him out. ”
Of course Edwards has other ideas, but Rodriguez, who is 18-0, seems confident. “I want to be remembered as a legend,” says the 23-year-old. “As a fighter who has never shied away from a fight. I’ve been here a long time, but not for long. I feel like I have what it takes to not only drop him, but end the fight quickly.” As expected, Rodriguez did his best to make the most of training camp. “I decided to use AirBnB for this game and get away from the camp house,” he says. “Little things like that go a long way in training camp because I wanted to be as comfortable as possible because there’s a lot going on.”
For Rodriguez, success in the ring could extend beyond the ring. “I do this to myself because I want to have a better life,” he says. “I have a daughter coming soon and I want to provide her with everything she needs. I think about her every day, so I am very motivated. I want to work harder and harder than ever before. What does it take to be the best? It’s hard work, dedication, sacrifice, heart, and a lot of will.”
Rodriguez, a native of Glendale, Arizona, is pleased that England’s match against Edwards on Saturday will be played in San Antonio, Texas. “In San Antonio, they treat me like a king,” he says. “I go to restaurants and get free food and free coffee at coffee shops.” Rodriguez is also happy to have become world champion. “Before (winning) the world title fight, I was living at home,” he says. “But after I won the title, I got my own apartment and started living on my own. Since then, life has been great.”
Rodriguez is tasting the fruits of success, but knows it could all be taken away from him if he loses to Edwards this weekend. He also knows that if he wins, he can claim another world title. “The biggest game of my life is coming up,” he says. “I’m motivated by that feeling (of winning a world title) because I know that winning this fight will be 10 times what I felt at the time.”
