Juan Francisco Estrada vs Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez final press conference quotes
All the quotes from the final press conference ahead of the blockbuster showdown between WBC World and Ring Magazine Super-Flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada and Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez at Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona on June 29, live worldwide on DAZN.
Eddie Hearn: “Welcome to Phoenix, what a fantastic fight card, for me one of the fights of the year so far as Jesse Rodriguez challenges Juan Francisco Estrada for the WBC World and Ring Magazine Super-Flyweight titles. It’s hot out here in Phoenix, and we have a huge crowd expected on Saturday – and an important announcement as well, we have decided in the last 24 hours to give everybody in the Footprint Center on Saturday free air conditioning, so there’s an even better excuse to come.
“We’re expecting 10,000 in the Footprint Center on Saturday and then there’s the big game on Sunday for Mexico as well, and the big fight nights keep coming on DAZN.”
Juan Francisco Estrada: “We’re completely ready for this fight, both physically and mentally, and going into this fight I believe that I am 100 per cent ready for this challenge. In my boxing career I’ve had 47 fights, some of them have been really tough, and I believe this fight will be another one of those tough fights, but I’m totally ready to win convincingly on Saturday night.
“I’m going to go out all-action from the first round like I always do but in an intelligent way, that will be my plan when I go into the fight. My plan is to go and show, as he says I’m finished, I’m old, my aim is to show that is not correct.
“It’s going to be a really good weekend for all the people, particularly the Mexican people. God willing, we get the victory on Saturday, because it will be much better for Mexico. We just want to go in there and show that El Gallo Estrada has still got big things to do in the sport.”
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez: “I might not show it, but this is the most excited I’ve been for a fight my whole career. I know what is at stake and what this win can do, not only for my career but for my life. My newborn, it would open a lot of doors for her, and a lot of doors for my career, this is what it’s all about. This is the fight that I’ve been wanting for a while, now that I have it I gave it my all in training and come Saturday night that’s going to show.
“This is the biggest fight I have ever been in, not only skill wise but crowd wise, there will be a lot of Mexican fans rooting for him, but I will feed off of that negative energy towards me. So I am ready to go, I just can’t wait to step inside that ring.
“It’s just a matter of getting in there and it actually unfolding. I do believe it could start a little technical but once I figure him out, it’s a wrap.
“I feel like I have the skills to stop anybody that I am put in the ring with, so on Saturday night I will prove everyone wrong once again.”
Jose Alfredo Caballero: “We have prepared really well for this, we have complete confidence that we’re going to get the victory this weekend. We’ve been studying Bam intensely and I can’t see any parameters by which he will beat ‘El Gallo’ Estrada.
“I think that the fighters that he’s faced previously like Rungvisai, he was almost finished when he fought him, the same goes for Cuadras, and I think Saturday will be the real acid test for Bam Rodriguez. It’s nothing personal, I just don’t see him being able to beat Estrada on Saturday.”
Robert Garcia Jr: “This is all Bam wants. He’s been saying this since he won his first World title against Cuadras that he only wants the biggest and toughest fights, and this is probably the toughest one he could have got and it’s the one he chose.
“El Gallo is a legend in the smaller weight classes and one of the greatest fighters that Mexico has produced in those weight classes, one of the four kings in the Super-Flyweight division. So you have to respect what he has accomplished in the sport, but I think on Saturday night, Bam is going to show that it’s his time now.
“The better the competition, the better Bam performs. He has more motivation in training camp and that’s why he chooses to take the biggest fights, he’s not going to wake up every morning with the same motivation if the guy in front of him isn’t the best guy he could have got so I think on Saturday night, everyone is going to see a whole other level to Bam. He’s also only 24 years old, and people forget that he became champ at such a young age, he’s not near his physical prime yet.”
Sunny Edwards: “I’ve never wanted easy competition, I’ve never wanted easy paydays, I’ve relentlessly chased down hard fights from way before I signed with you Eddie. I remember before that we made the fight with Julio Cesar Martinez and he pulled out and didn’t want to take the fight, and that was meant to be happening in Mexico City from what I remember. I’ll fight anywhere. A boxing ring is where I feel at home. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the UK, Dubai or Arizona.
“I loved the experience out here last time, it was a fantastic one, it was the best event that I’ve been part of by a long way and to be on one of the main stages was a dream come true. I knew I was going to have a hard fight then and I know I have a hard fight now. I wouldn’t even get out of bed if I didn’t think I had to. So, I don’t want an easy eight or ten rounders against a British guy that doesn’t have much of a chance of beating me. Give me the biggest fights is what I said to you, and this is what we have, and coming through this there should be big fights laid out in front of me, but obviously, Saturday night I have to get back to winning ways otherwise where do I go from there?
“I’ve already got about ten of my Mexican family members in that row there that have been looking after me for the last two weeks. I reckon I’ll have 20 or 30 in there, but that’s all I need, and any more support that I can gather so be it, but for me, I hope there’s a lot of people there for our fight, the chief-support, and boxing in front of a packed venue, even if everyone wants me to get beat in there, that doesn’t bother me, I just like making people feel something.
“People are probably looking for the pain in my eyes from losing to a great champion in Bam, but it doesn’t exist. The next week I was showing my face in Saudi Arabia, with lumps, bumps and bruises everywhere, and I wore them proudly. They were scars from battle that I earned the hard way. I know what boxing can be, 20 times in a row, I won quite easily and convincingly, and didn’t really have to think too much. The one night I’ve lost, I have to take that on the chin, Bam won. A lot of people are saying is it sickening being on the undercard of someone that beat you, if anything, I think it’s fitting and exactly where I need to be. Getting a win in America is what I need to do after the first time didn’t go so well.
“It’s easy to start a 36 minute race running 100 miles per hour but see how long that lasts with a fighter like me. My defence didn’t look like much, but from the second round I couldn’t really see much that was coming my way, so I just stood there and had a fire fight with the fireman, and I paid the price. This time, I am with a fighter that’s not half of my last opponent and I think that I could stand there and bang it out the same or box and move. Obviously Curiel a good fighter otherwise he wouldn’t have won a World title, the same person he knocked out in two rounds, knocked him out.”
Yamileth Mercado: “I want to say thank you very much for the opportunity to take on my eighth defence of my title. I’m really happy to be on such a great card, where I have so many compatriots fighting on this event as well. I’m really excited and I am sure that on Saturday, this will be the eighth successful defence of my title and then we will go on to look for unification fights.
“Ramla is a really strong fighter and we’ve put in the work in the gym, working hard to adapt to her style as well. I’ve been working hard on my strengths and my weaknesses, and I am sure that Saturday will be a great fight and the true winners will be the fans.”
Ramla Ali: “Ideally, I wanted this in London in front of my home crowd, but it’s OK that it’s going to be here in Arizona in front of what is essentially the World champion’s backyard. I feel like I flourish under those kinds of pressures and I’m just super excited to be there and to prove to everyone that I deserve to be in there challenging for the World title.
“There’s a cool quote that I think Muhammad Ali said, ‘he who is not courageous will achieve nothing in life’. So, I cannot be scared that there will be 10,000 Mexicans in the arena, I just need to go in there and showcase my boxing skills, and I know I can do it.
“People like to talk about the defeat, but I’ve gone past that. People have said how courageous I was asking for that rematch straight away; my coaches were saying let’s have another fight first and we’ll get to that fight second. But I was like, no, this is the fight that I want, and I proved to everybody that what happened the first time was just lucky and the second time I proved that I was the better boxer, and I feel on Saturday that I’m going to do that again.
“It’s a lifelong dream for any boxer, otherwise why do you get in the ring? You don’t get in there to just take part, that’s just silly as you are getting hurt for a living, so you want to take boxing as far as you can possibly go. So, for me, like everyone else I am sure, the goal is to be World champion. When I was growing up, I watched the greats like Ali, Sugar Ray and they were World champions and the belt that they had was the WBC. That solidified them as a World champion and for me that is the belt I’ve always wanted because in my eyes, if I’m going to be World champion, that’s the belt I want, and it cements my legacy and proves to everybody that I am great.”
Arturo Cardenas: “I’m really prepared and ready, we’ve had a great camp, and we’re ready for Saturday. I also think on Saturday that it’s a step up and I’m ready to show what I can do. Every fight of mine is a new goal and on Saturday you are going to see a great fight and a war between me and Barrios.
“Every time we go into camp, we’re always working on improving our style, so you will see a better version of Arturo Cardenas on Saturday.”
Danny Barrios: “I’m ready to give a great performance. Styles make fights and I know for a fact me, and Arturo are going to give everyone a great show. This camp was amazing, nutrition and everything was amazing, no injuries or anything, I feel more ready and very prepared, I just can’t wait to get in there, I’m very excited.
“It’s massive for me. Not because it’s going to give me big fights, but because I’m fighting in my hometown. It’s always a dream come true for any fighter to fight in a big venue like the footprint, and I actually manifested to fight in the Footprint Center back in 2022, and now guess what, I’m here now.”
Leonardo Rubalcava: “It’s a blessing to be here and I am really glad to be here. We’re very motivated and I’m ready to give you guys an excellent show.”
Gabriel Muratalla: “It’s a very big night, thank you Eddie for this opportunity and to Robert Garcia too. I’m ready to showcase my skills on this big card and Saturday. My fellow teammates, my sparring partners (Jesse Rodriguez and Arturo Cardenas) they are going to do amazing as well, so right after my fight I will celebrate theirs.”
Fabian Rojo: “It fills me with huge pride to be fighting in my home city. I’m really delighted to be able to defend the city I am from and to do that with great pride.”