The 2024 Saturday Night Boxing Awards

As 2024 comes to a close, it's time to honor the best that boxing had to offer during the year. Here is the 14th edition of the Saturday Night Boxing Awards. The 2024 awards are given to best fighter, fight, knockout, round, upset, trainer, promoter, network and referee of the year. 

Fighter of the Year: Oleksandr Usyk

Usyk scored two victories over lineal heavyweight king Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed champion in the division since Lennox Lewis. Usyk knocked down Fury in a memorable ninth round during their first fight and was perhaps seconds away from stopping him. In the rematch Fury stayed on his feet all 12 rounds, but Usyk, as in the first fight, prevailed in the second half of the bout to win on the scorecards. 

Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN

Usyk is now a two-time winner of the Saturday Night Boxing Fighter of the Year, also winning in 2018. He's also the first heavyweight to claim the award. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion has now reigned supreme in two divisions. Despite significant size disadvantages, Usyk' brand of technical boxing and relentless drive have led to him becoming the top dog at heavyweight. 

Previous SNB Fighters of the Year:

2023: (tie) Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue

2022: Dmitry Bivol
2021: Saul Alvarez
2020: Teofimo Lopez
2019: Saul Alvarez
2018: Oleksandr Usyk
2017: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
2016: Carl Frampton
2015: Floyd Mayweather
2014: Naoya Inoue
2013: Adonis Stevenson
2012: Nonito Donaire
2011: Andre Ward 

Fight of the Year: Otabek Kholmatov-Raymond Ford Jr.  

This fight was for a vacant featherweight title and on paper neither boxer seemed like a deserving candidate for the opportunity. Kholmatov entered the fight as a little-seen 12-0 boxer without any real signature wins in his developmental fights. Ford in the recent past had escaped without defeat in a split decision win against Edward Vazquez and a draw against Aaron Perez. 

But this fight is why on paper needs to remain "on paper" at times. Kholmatov and Ford fought an absolute barnburner in March. 

Entering the fight, Kholmatov was supposed to be the heavier hitter with 11 knockouts in his 12 wins while Ford made his reputation as an athletic, technical boxer. Yet in this fascinating fight, the script was flipped twice. In the early rounds, it was Kholmatov who dominated boxing from range, peppering Ford from distance and landing terrific power shots. Ford couldn't defend Kholmatov's power punches from range and looked flummoxed throughout the first half of the fight.  

Then Ford took the drastic step of taking the fight on the inside, a range where he had spent little time during his professional career. Slowly but surely, Ford started to have success with uppercuts on the inside and piercing right hooks. Ford had a huge deficit to climb in the fight, but he kept chopping away. In the 12th, Kholmatov boxed from distance believing that as long as he stayed on his feet, he would win the fight. But in the second half of the round, Ford landed a blistering combination with Kholmatov against the ropes. Kholmatov tried to hold, but he fell over. The ref ruled it a slip, but Kholmatov was badly hurt. 

Ford (left) and Kholmatov in an epic battle
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

When the action resumed, Ford went on the hunt and landed a crushing right hand that made Kholmatov stumble from one side of the ring to the other along the ropes. He was so damaged from the shot that he banged into the corner post and became entangled with the ropes in the corner. Seizing the opportunity, Ford followed up with a cracking left hand while Kholmatov was defenseless. Although there were only a few seconds left in the fight, referee Charlie Fitch called it off.  

Kholmatov-Ford featured everything one could ask for in a title fight. Kholmatov set a ferocious pace in the early rounds and dazzled with his boxing gifts and power punching from the outside. And when Plan A didn't work for Ford, he took big risks against the supposed power puncher and let his hands fly on the inside. His adjustment was one of desperation, but he realized what he was up against. On the outside, Ford couldn't compete. But like a champion, he understood that winning meant everything. And if he needed to take a big risk to win, then that's what the situation required. He went right in the kitchen and pulled out all the stops to become a champion. And that's what prizefighting on the highest level is about. 

Previous SNB Fights of the Year: 

2023: Nery-Hovhannisyan
2022: Wood-Conlan
2021: Fury-Wilder III
2020: Zepeda-Baranchyk
2019: Inoue-Donaire
2018: Chisora-Takam
2017: Joshua-Klitschko
2016: Vargas-Salido
2015: Miura-Vargas
2014: Coyle-Brizuela
2013: Bradley-Provodnikov
2012: Pacquiao-Marquez IV
2011: Rios-Acosta 

Knockout of the Year: Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez KO 7 Juan Estrada 

After having been dominated in the first five rounds of the fight, including getting dropped in the fourth, Juan Estrada started to turn the tide in the sixth. He scored a knockdown from a beautiful three-punch combination to start the round and now suddenly the old master didn't look out of his depth against the younger, faster Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez.  

Rodriguez sends Estrada to the canvas
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

Estrada continued to press the action after the knockdown. In the seventh he marched forward and went looking for Rodriguez with lead right hands. But Estrada had started to go to the well too often. As the round continued, he missed with two lead right hands, which Bam ducked under. Bam then followed up with a blistering left uppercut to Estrada's unprotected body and "El Gallo" crumbled to the canvas. The fight was over.  

Not only was Bam's counter uppercut impressive in terms of technique, but consider that he landed it against the best opponent of his career. Furthermore, he unfurled the punch not during a period of dominance, but when Estrada was in the ascendency. The punch was a fight-changer and a fight-ender, a beautiful shot against a terrific boxer. Kudos to Bam Rodriguez. This knockout was the signature win of his skyrocketing career.  

Previous SNB Knockouts of the Year: 

2023: Junto Nakatani KO 12 Andrew Moloney
2022: Leigh Wood TKO 12 Michael Conlan
2021: Gabe Rosado KO 3 Bektemir Melikuziev
2020: (tie) Alexander Povetkin KO 5 Dillian Whyte and Gervonta Davis KO 6 Leo Santa Cruz
2019: Nonito Donaire KO 6 Stephon Young
2018: Naoya Inoue KO 1 Juan Carlos Payano
2017: Zolani Tete KO 1 Siboniso Gonya
2016: Hassan N'Dam KO 1 Alfonso Blanco
2015: Yenifel Vincente KO 3 Juan Dominguez
2014: Andy Lee KO 5 John Jackson
2013: Stephen Smith KO 5 Gary Buckland
2012: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao
2011: Takashi Uchiyama TKO 11 Jorge Solis 

Round of the Year: Tyson Koki-Deok No Yun I Round 1 

What an insane round of boxing! More to the point, an absolutely insane 30 seconds! These two super middleweights aren't household names, but they produced special stuff in the first round of their fight in June. 

With about 2:15 to go in the first round, No Yun (South Korea) lands a lead right uppercut to the head that instantly drops Koki (Japan) to the canvas. It's a hard shot and Koki takes a couple of really deep breaths upon making it to his feet.  

When the action resumes, No Yun charges after Koki and traps him in the corner. He unloads the kitchen sink on Koki who looks like he's ready to go. No Yun presses for the stoppage and leaves his feet to land a right hand. But Koki meets him with a perfect counter left. No Yun is stopped in his tracks and collapses to the canvas. His upper body is motionless on the ground but both feet shake uncontrollably. If you want an example of a knockout short-circuiting a fighter, here's a great example. 

Koki looked seconds away from being stopped and pulled out the perfect punch during a barrage of incoming fire. It was breathtaking stuff. The two did fight later in the year with No Yun gaining revenge and winning by seventh-round stoppage, but please, take a look at the first round of their first fight. Jaw-dropping.  

Previous SNB Rounds of the Year:  

2023: O'Shaquie Foster-Eduardo Hernandez Round 11
2022: Mauricio Lara-Emilio Sanchez Round 3
2021: Kenshiro Teraji-Masamichi Yabuki Round 9
2020: Jose Zepeda-Ivan Baranchyk Round 5
2019: Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Round 3
2018: Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury Round 12
2017: Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko Round 5
2016: Edwin Rodriguez-Thomas Williams Jr. Round 2
2015: Edwin Rodriguez-Michael Seals Round 1
2014: Thomas Williams Jr.-Cornelius White Round 1
2013: Tim Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov Round 12
2012: Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Round 12
2011: Hernan Marquez-Luis Concepcion I Round 1 

Upset of the Year: Bruno Surace KO 6 Jaime Munguia 

When matchmaking goes wrong. Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia wanted to fit in a fight at the end of the year in front of his hometown Tijuana fans. His team selected little-known French fighter Bruno Surace, who prior to this bout had never boxed outside of France as a professional and only had four knockouts in his 27 fights. 

In the early going all went to plan. Munguia scored an impressive knockdown in the second round with a left hook to the head. And he continued to pile up points as the fight progressed. Although Surace was losing rounds, he did flash some quick counters at points, but he didn't let his hands go with enough frequency to make a dent on the scorecards.  

In the sixth, Munguia pushed Surace back to the ropes. He threw a left hook-left uppercut combination with both punches missing. And then he lingered in the pocket. Surace exploded off the ropes with a throwaway jab and then a crushing right hand to Munguia's completely unprotected chin. Munguia hit the canvas hard. He attempted to beat the count but stumbled trying to get to his feet. The ref waved it off. It was an outcome that no one saw coming. But on this night, Surace saw the perfect opening, and he seized it. 

Previous SNB Upsets of the Year:  

2023: Brian Mendoza KO 7 Sebastian Fundora
2022: Hector Luis Garcia UD Chris Colbert
2021: George Kambosos SD Teofimo Lopez
2020: Robert Helenius TKO 4 Adam Kownacki
2019: Andy Ruiz TKO 7 Anthony Joshua
2018: Rob Brant UD Ryota Murata
2017: Caleb Truax MD James DeGale
2016: Joe Smith Jr. KO 1 Andrzej Fonfara
2015: Tyson Fury UD Wladimir Klitschko
2014: (tie) James de la Rosa UD Alfredo Angulo and Tommy Karpency SD Chad Dawson
2013: Jhonny Gonzalez KO 1 Abner Mares
2012: Sonny Boy Jaro TKO 6 Pongsaklek Wongjongkam 

Trainer of the Year: Robert Garcia 

Pretty much everything went right for Robert Garcia in 2024. His signature fighter, Jesse Rodriguez, had a huge win over Juan Estrada. Vergil Ortiz gutted out a close victory over Serhii Bohachuk despite hitting the canvas twice. During the final third of the fight, Garcia implored Ortiz to stop looking for a knockout and insisted that Ortiz's jab and punch volume would be the way to win. And he was correct.  

Jesse Rodriguez and Robert Garcia
Photo courtesy of Robert Garcia

In perhaps Garcia's most impressive display of the year, he was able to convince slugger Jose Valenzuela to backfoot Isaac Cruz to win a junior welterweight title. This was a radical change for Valenzuela and while the results weren't always fluid over the 12 rounds, he followed the game plan and won his first world title. Garcia's only notable loss of the year was Jose Ramirez dropping a competitive decision to Arnold Barboza.   

Garcia also continues to produce exciting young prospects, such as Alberto "Chop Chop" Gonzalez and Art Barrera. Lindolfo Delgado at 140 lbs. is another fighter who is knocking on the door of a championship opportunity. Overall, Garcia demonstrated in 2024 what a trainer can do best: prepare a fighter for the opponent in front of him and be able to make key adjustments in the corner. It was a great year for the veteran trainer, who was the 2011 SNB Trainer of the Year and the SNB Trainer of the Decade for 2010-2019.  

Previous SNB Trainers of the Year: 

2023: Brian McIntyre et al.
2022: Derrick James
2021: Eddy Reynoso
2020: Teofimo Lopez Sr.
2019: Eddy Reynoso
2018: Anatoly Lomachenko
2017: Derrick James
2016: Shane McGuigan
2015: Peter Fury
2014: Freddie Roach
2013: Kenny Porter
2012: Robert McCracken
2011: Robert Garcia 

Promoter of the Year: Riyadh Season 

Masterminded by Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority for Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Season has become in just under two years the dominant big-fight promoter in the sport. In 2024, Riyadh Season was able to produce the first heavyweight undisputed fight in over 20 years, throwing whatever money was necessary to ensure that Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk not only happened, but transpired on Saudi Arabian soil. They also held the rematch as well.  

And if that wasn't enough, Alalshikh also made the undisputed light heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. The Riyadh Season cards overall have produced a lot of entertainment. The featherweight title fight between Raymond Ford and Nick Ball was one of the best fights of the year.  

Alalshikh has also been a big supporter of the heavyweight division, giving fighters like Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel significant opportunities to further their respective careers. He has already featured heavyweight uber-prospect Moses Itauma on his cards.  

Riyadh Season is certainly not the first big venture to enter boxing throwing around a lot of money. But what's been to their credit is that they have been able to get big fights to happen. Furthermore, Alalshikh has convinced many of the sport's top promoters to work together on a consistent basis, which has been a significant benefit to the sport and its fans.  

Previous SNB Promoters of the Year: 

2023: TGB Promotions in conjunction with PBC
2022: No Award Given
2021: Premier Boxing Champions
2020: Top Rank
2019: Matchroom Boxing
2018: Premier Boxing Champions
2017: K2 Promotions
2016: Matchroom Boxing
2015: Golden Boy Promotions
2014: Matchroom Boxing
2013: (tie) Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank
2012: Golden Boy Promotions
2011: Top Rank 

Network of the Year: DAZN 

2024 is the year where everything started to come together for DAZN. Although they have had strong years in the past, in 2024 they finally realized that by opening their doors to more promoters, they can become the premier destination for the sport. In addition to Matchroom and Golden Boy, DAZN is now the boxing home for Salita Promotions, MVP Promotions, OTX, Red Owl Boxing, and several other entities. Not only has this new programming offered far more boxing content for their subscribers, but it has helped fill the crucial void for providing developmental opportunities for emerging talents. 

DAZN also has become the official home Riyadh Season cards, which have provided several of the biggest fights of the year. Late in the year, DAZN announced that they will become the exclusive home of Queensberry Promotions. Somehow, one network has helped convince Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren to play nicely in the same sandbox. Now that's quite a feat! 

Previous SNB Networks of the Year:  

2023: Showtime
2022: ESPN
2021: Showtime
2020: ESPN
2019: DAZN
2018: Showtime
2017: Showtime
2016: Sky Sports
2015: No award given
2014: ESPN
2013: Showtime
2012: BoxNation 

Referee of the Year: Thomas Taylor 

In the past I have given this award to a referee who had a terrific singular performance during a notable fight. But for 2024, I have decided to go in a different direction. Thomas Taylor, from California, works big fights all over the world. He is clearly among the most respected referees in the sport. But I am not giving this award because he has attained a specific status. After all, more than a few high-profile referees aren't particularly good at their job; it's just that the right people like them. Taylor is not in this category. He's reached his place in the sport on merit.  

Taylor doesn't have a particular signature style during fights. Usually, he's invisible. His footwork is terrific. He can be forceful when he needs to be. He's not one to allow a lot of fouling. What he does exceptionally well is ensuring that a fight stays under control while not making himself the story, which is perhaps the highest praise that can be given to a referee.

Look at all the big fights he worked in 2024: Rolly Romero-Pitbull Cruz, Canelo-Munguia, Benavidez-Gvozdyk, Nakatani-Astrolabio (in Japan), Lara-Garcia, Munguia-Bazinyan, and Beterbiev-Bivol (in Saudi Arabia). That's quite a year and there's been nary a peep of criticism about his performances in any of them. Taylor is proof that there are still meritocratic elements in the sports. He's one of the best, and he's working many of the best fights that the sport offers. And that's how it should be!   

Previous SNB Referees of the Year:

2023: No award given
2022: David Fields
2021: Mark Lyson
2020: Michiaki Someya
2019: No award given
2018: Jack Reiss
2017: David Fields
2016: Raul Caiz Sr.
2015: David Fields
2014: Steve Smoger
2013: Tony Weeks
2012: Eddie Claudio

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook 

Saturday Night at the Fights

Matchroom Boxing hosted an evening of pugilism in Philadelphia on Saturday that featured many of their top American boxers. Four were victorious and one would suffer his first defeat. There's a lot to dissect from these performances, so let's jump right in!

Boots vs. Karen

Jaron "Boots" Ennis fought a mandatory defense, and rematch, against Karen Chukhadzhian. The two first met in January 2023, which resulted in a one-sided unanimous decision win for Ennis. The most notable aspect of the fight was that Karen was able to take Boots the distance. In the interim, Karen had done very little to warrant becoming a mandatory challenger for Boots' welterweight title, yet here they were. Would the rematch be any different? 

Actually, it was. Karen was far more aggressive on Saturday, spending significant portions of the fight on his front foot. When they fought last year, Karen was happy to play it safe on the outside, but in the rematch, he was far feistier. 

Boots started off well and really focused on commanding the action with his jab. But as the rounds started to pile up, the same criticisms of Boots in past fights manifested: he sacrificed too much defense for offense, he was loading up on big shots for a knockout, and in a new twist, it looked as if the physicality of the fight was taking a bit of a toll on him (there was a lot of holding and grappling; Karen was deducted a point for holding). 

Boots did score a knockdown in the fifth from a barrage of power punches and he landed plenty of eye-catching shots throughout the fight. To my eyes, the fight was never in doubt for him, but Karen was far from intimidated. During several portions of the back-half of the fight, Karen connected with blistering right hands and left hooks. Although not a puncher, these were clean and impressive shots that exposed Boots' defensive shortcomings. Boots was so concerned with getting the knockout that he wasn't interested in defending what was coming back at him. As a result, he tasted a lot of leather. Boots did win a unanimous decision (119-108, 117-110 and 116-111), but it was far from a clean victory. 

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing

As I've stated in a previous column about Boots, he might happen to have an incredible chin, so we can't say with certainly that he is a knockout waiting to happen. But at the very least, Karen won three and four rounds on two scorecards. That was not an accident of judges being overly generous. The point of boxing is to win, and Boots' porous defense is making it harder for him to be victorious. Boots remains an offensive dynamo, but there are two sides to the sport. 

Boots didn't seem thrilled by his performance in the aftermath of the fight. I think that now he realizes the margins are much thinner at the top levels of boxing. What worked stopping lesser fighters is no longer the same. This is a pivotal moment in his career. Does he want to be a fun action fighter or does he aspire to something more, like greatness? If it's the latter, then there's a lot of work to be done. 

Bam vs. Guevara

Every now and then, you see something so sublime in boxing that you have to check a replay to make sure that your eyes didn't deceive you. In the third round Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez trapped Pedro Guevara in a corner and then Guevara just folded to the canvas in an instant, and the fight was over. What was the shot that landed? What was so forceful? Did Bam slip in a quick uppercut? 

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing

Ringside, a number of the media initially thought that it was a right uppercut that did the damage, which would have been impressive in that it wasn't Bam's dominant back hand, the left. But what actually happened was even more breathtaking. With Guevara right in front of him along the ropes, Bam shifted his weight and momentarily went orthodox to land the right uppercut from that position. It was the backhand, but it was now the right hand from the orthodox stance. In real time, this switch was practically imperceptible, but Bam was so effortless and fluid with his movement. It's another example of Bam having elite footwork in the pocket. 

Guevara was no mug. He had always gone the distance before. His losses had all been by split or majority decision. He has been a rugged contender. And here he was wiped out in the third round. This was next-level stuff by Bam, who was making a junior bantamweight title defense. And however seasoned Guevara might have been, he did not anticipate Bam's final uppercut, nor did he see it coming. He was outfought and outthought by a master boxer. It was thrilling stuff. 

Ford vs. Gonzalez

Raymond Ford made his junior lightweight debut on Saturday against a credible B-level fighter in Orlando Gonzalez. What amazed me about Ford's performance was how his style has morphed from his early years in the sport. During his development fights, he was a classic boxer who used his legs and hand speed. He was not a big puncher and if anything, he was accused of over-moving at times and not sitting down on his shots. 

But something changed with Ford over 2024. In March he was being outboxed by Otabek Kholmatov and Ford made a bold decision to take the fight on the inside. He wound up scoring a memorable 12th-round stoppage to win a world featherweight title. In June, he was being outworked by pressure fighter Nick Ball in the first half of their fight and yet it was Ford who became the pressure fighter in the second half. Although he dropped a razor-thin split decision in that fight, the newfound belief in his inside fighting and power was evident. 

On Saturday he fought Gonzalez as a walk-down power puncher. There was little of the lateral movement or fancy footwork from Ford's earlier career. Instead, Ford was coming in the front door all night behind bombs. He landed two picture-perfect knockdowns with right hooks in the second and eighth rounds. The lead hook in the eighth was so spectacular that I had to resist the urge to stand up and applaud. The knockdown was that sublime. That hook so damaged Gonzalez that he spent the rest of the fight running and holding. He was no longer interested in engaging. 

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing

Ford wound up winning by a virtual shutout on the cards. I thought that his gas tank looked a little better than it had in previous fights. Although his effort may not have been full-throttle every round, he was still piling up points. More impressively, he looked very comfortable with his style, like he had finally found himself in the ring. He may not be a true one-punch knockout guy, but he has enough power and hand speed to trouble anyone at 130 lbs. 

Coe vs. Gallegos

If you ever want to watch a fight where it all goes wrong for a top prospect, you could start here. Khalil Coe was on the fast track at light heavyweight and entered Saturday's fight at 9-0-1 with seven knockouts. In his last three fights, he was a destroyer, ending each bout within two rounds. 

From the opening bell, Coe looked fresh. He had the power and speed advantage over Manuel Gallegos, who had not fought in over a year. In Gallegos' last fight, he was knocked out by Diego Pacheco in four rounds at super middleweight. All of this seemed to be set up to make Coe look good.

Coe was landing some hellacious shots early, but then a funny thing happened: Gallegos wouldn't go down. And then he kept firing back. Hitting Coe with crisp counter right hands and left hooks to the body, Gallegos seemed to be enjoying the slugfest. 

Instead of making adjustments, Coe doubled down on going to war. How was this guy still here? I will try even harder to stop him. But Gallegos kept pressing forward and dropped Coe with a left hook to the body in the fifth. Coe came up firing, which galvanized the crowd. Both exchanged huge shots, but it looked like Coe got the worst of it. 

By the sixth, Coe's legs didn't look like they once did. And Gallegos took control of the fight. A flurry of power punches dropped Coe in the seventh. Additional power punches dropped Coe in the eighth. And Coe was now a shell of himself. Nobody seemed interested in stopping the fight even though Coe was taking a vicious beating. A final left hook to the body dropped Coe in the ninth and the ref finally waved the fight off. 

This fight didn't have to play out the way it did. Although there was no guarantee that Coe would have won if he had chosen to box more and not go to war, he certainly would have had more of a chance. He had been a decorated amateur boxer after all. It wasn't always about power with him. But Coe wound up playing into Gallegos' hands. Coe was certain he would win a war of power punching. 

It was this belief, and a lack of respect for his opponent, that led to his demise. Coe could have tried to make Gallegos earn it the hard way, but there Coe was landing a huge shot and just staying right in the pocket, expecting Gonzalez to hit the canvas, and completely surprised when Gonzalez fired off a blazing counter. This pattern played out throughout the fight. Like Boots' performance, it was an example of a fighter who had developed bad habits. Coe believed too much in his power and not enough in what his opponent could do. He paid the price. 

Williams vs. Garrido

Austin "Ammo" Williams suffered a physically devastating defeat in his last fight against Hamzah Sheeraz, where he was dropped in the 10th and stopped in the 11th. For his comeback fight, he was matched up against little-known Gian Garrido, a fighter who had recently been knocked out in a six-rounder. This was supposed to be a get-well fight for Williams. But, if we are being honest, Ammo... didn't look too well. 

The ledger will show that Williams won Saturday's fight by fifth-round stoppage, and in truth, his power punching really came alive during that round. But prior to that, he looked listless. His legs were ponderous. He struggled to put punches together and at points Garrido was much quicker. At the end, Williams' sharper punching was the difference, but he looked far from a recent middleweight title challenger. 

Williams may need to take some time out of the ring to get back to his best. Saturday was not an issue of ring rust or inactivity. Sometimes a fighter just doesn't look right and I hope that his team was watching his performance closely. He needs a break. 

***

Overall, it was a terrific night at the fights, with much revealed about these boxers. From the frustrating to the sublime, there was so much to absorb, so much talent to watch of all varieties, so much intrigue. It was a wonderful night at the fights, and I was as happy as ever to experience it.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook 

United Boxing Podcast

I appeared on this week's United Boxing Podcast with David Greisman and Darren Rees. We discussed this weekend's upcoming fights, including Boots, Bam, Keyshawn, and more. I've attached the Spotify link below, but it is available on most streaming services. 

Spotify link

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook 

Robert Garcia on Bam Rodriguez

Robert Garcia has been with Jesse Rodriguez almost from the beginning. The renown trainer brought Jesse to his gym when the fighter was just 15. Immediately, Garcia recognized "Bam" Rodriguez's profound talent. From the footwork to the punch variety to the poise, Rodriguez stood out even in a gym full of great fighters. 

Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) defends his junior bantamweight world title on November 9th against Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) in Philadelphia. 2024 has already seen Bam stop the legendary Juan Estrada, but he did taste the canvas for the first time in his professional career during that fight. Should Bam get past Guevara, he is looking to become undisputed at 115 lbs. in 2025. 

I spoke with Robert Garcia about his relationship with Bam, Bam's development as a fighter, the Estrada fight, and what Bam needs to continue to work on in the gym. 

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez and Robert Garcia
Photo courtesy of Robert Garcia

This interview has been edited. 

How did you initially meet Jesse?

We first met when he was 11 or 12. I was training Nonito Donaire and we had a fight in San Antonio. Jesse jumped in the ring with Donaire to do some shadowboxing. So, we met and took a picture. But nothing happened there. 

In 2016, his older brother, Joshua Franco, came out of the amateurs. My son told me about Franco and Hector Tanajara from San Antonio and he said that they were very good fighters. So, we went to San Antonio and approached them. And we signed them with Golden Boy Promotions. 

Franco told me, you know I have a little brother and that he is pretty good.  Joshua reminded me that we had met Bam a few years ago. And on his recommendation, we brought Bam to California to train with us. Bam was 15.  

What did you see from Bam that immediately impressed you? 

His talent. His skills. His footwork really meant a lot to me. I love fighters with great footwork. One of my favorite fighters was Orlando Canizales. I used to love his footwork. I tried to do a little of his footwork when I was fighting. 

Bam was beautiful at what he did and from day one. We knew that this kid was going to be special. 

Let’s talk about his footwork. It's very purposeful. It’s not just moving for the sake of moving. It’s subtle shifts in the pocket, finding angles to land shots. How did he discover that ability, because that's a very unusual skill set for a young fighter? 

That’s true. But that’s something natural that he has. Obviously, it’s something that he practices a lot in the gym, in training and in sparring. We asked him to keep using that footwork and then take those steps to convert a good hook or a good uppercut. It was adding a little bit to his talent. It’s something that we continue to practice every day and I think that’s why he's getting better and better. 

You have a strong gym culture at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. I’m sure that Jesse wanted to fight the top guys when he got there, but I'm also sure that you had to protect him a little bit in that he was just 16. What was the process like for preparing him for the pros? 

We had to be careful with who he was sparring with at 15 and 16 because he was just a kid. He didn’t turn pro until 17. He could make anybody look bad, but we still had to be careful because of the strength of the grown men at the gym. He was always a small kid. We turned him pro at 108 and he was very, very small. We couldn’t find any pros in my gym who were his size, so he always sparred with younger kids, the amateurs, stuff like that. 

You are on record years ago as saying that he was already the best fighter in the gym. How was that received by other fighters in your gym and what was your thought process behind saying that publicly?

Obviously, I have guys who are bigger names because of the weight classes, Vergil Ortiz, Jose Ramirez, people like that. I have Jose Valenzuela who just became champion. The weight divisions do make a big difference. 

But when it comes talent, this kid is just special. These other guys are incredible. But Jesse is just different. Every fighter in the gym knows it. He’s the special one. 

What have you been working on to develop from when he turned pro until now? 

It’s reminding him what we’ve been working on. I don’t have to correct too much. I don’t have to teach him too much. A lot of it is just natural. It’s not really about teaching him. It’s just reminding him that he’s the best, that nobody is better than you. It’s just working at the gym every day. 

Was there a point during Bam's development when you knew he was ready for the world level? 

I don’t think there was a particular time or fight where I knew he was ready. I think it was from the beginning. When he started his career as a professional, I knew that it would happen soon. I didn’t think it would take that long. I didn’t think we would need 30 professional fights to get there. Especially fighting at the smaller weight classes, it wouldn't take that long. 

The kid was so talented. The plan was for him to become champion originally at 108. He was scheduled to fight for the title on my brother Mikey’s card against Sandor Martin. But that fight fell through. And then two months later, we got a call from Matchroom asking us if Jesse was crazy enough to jump two divisions to fight Carlos Cuadras. And I said, yes, he’s ready. And the rest is history. 

In that there aren’t a lot of great 108, 112, or even 115-lb. fighters in America, has it been difficult getting him quality sparring?

In my gym I have guys in every weight class all the way to 160 and 168. I don’t have a lot of guys at 108, but I have a lot of top guys at the smaller weights, so he gets a lot of good sparring. We are also sparring junior featherweights and featherweights, and he has no problems sparring those guys.

A few years ago, Bam was on a great run, beating Carlos Cuadras and knocking out Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Then he had fights with Israel and Cristian Gonzalez where things didn’t go his way at times and he seemed frustrated at points. What were the learning experiences from the two Gonzalez fights? 

We have to be careful about taking fights that don’t interest Bam. The Israel Gonzalez fight, the one on the Canelo card, he didn’t want that fight. I thought after knocking out Sor Rungvisai that it would be the perfect opportunity to be the co-main event to Canelo, but he didn’t want it. That didn’t motivate him, especially against a guy that nobody really knew. 

So, now we’ve learned that for him to perform, to mentally prepare himself to give his best in the ring, he has to have a meaningful fight. He told me before his last fight, before Estrada was confirmed, that if it’s not El Gallo [Estrada] next, then he didn’t want to fight. We already had a date for him, but he said if it wasn’t El Gallo then he was going to sit out until the right fight came along. 

This fight coming up, against Guevara, he has to take the fight because it’s his mandatory and the WBC could potentially strip him if he doesn’t fight. All he wants to do is unify. The other champions aren’t available right now. We had to take this fight. But he wants meaningful fights. The plan next year is for two fights. And he wants it to be against the two champions at 115 lbs. 

As mandatories go, Pedro Guevara is a very good fighter. He’s had four losses during his career and all have been by split or majority decision. He’s very smart in the ring. He never beats himself. What are your thoughts about him? 

I think Guevara’s a great fighter. He puts up a good fight. And that’s why Bam is training hard. In Bam’s mind, he wants to become undisputed next year. That’s his goal, so he’s taking this fight very seriously. I think Guevara will put up a great fight and he will bring the best out of Jesse. 

Let’s go back to the Estrada fight. Bam did a lot of good things that night. He had that memorable knockout with the uppercut in the seventh round. But he did get knocked down in the fight. What were your overall impressions of his performance against Estrada? 

Going into the fight, I thought that it was going to be more difficult than what it turned out to be. I think Estrada’s experience and beautiful skills and style…I thought the fight was going to be more difficult and challenging. But from round one, I noticed the domination. Bam was having fun. 

But he was being a little careless after he dropped Estrada in the fourth. I kept reminding him during one of the breaks, after the fifth, I said you can’t get too careless. This guy is still dangerous. This guy has experience. And then when the bell rang for the sixth, that’s when he got dropped. 

He wasn’t hurt. He looked at me and smiled. And after the bell rang in the sixth, I said, what did I tell you? He said, you were right. I said, that’s OK. Don’t get careless because he’s very good in the later rounds. 

And we still had half the fight to go. Good thing he knocked him out in the seventh because we had so much of the fight left. It could have been different, where Estrada’s experience could have become a big factor. 

Were you concerned about the knockdown? 

No. Right away I saw the way he smiled. The way he looked at us. He laughed. I wasn’t concerned at all. I remember when my brother [Mikey] was knocked down by Rocky Martinez. He got up and looked at me and smiled. It was one of those times. These things happen. It’s a good thing that it happened to Bam, because he had never been dropped. Now he’s gotten dropped and he knows what it feels like. 

What are some of the things that you are working on with Jesse for him to become the best version of himself in the ring?

We are working on his defense, his reflexes. When it comes to making his opponents miss, there are some punches that still land. Especially for Guevara, who has seen Bam’s last fight against El Gallo, I’m not saying they have the same style, but they are both right-handed and Guevara has seen the right hand that landed and dropped Bam. So, I’m sure he’s going to look for that right hand. 

Not that Bam gets hit with a lot of punches, but when he gets a little too careless, a little too comfortable, he doesn’t worry about making his opponents miss. So, we are working on that and we continue to work on that every day. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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Opinions and Observations: Estrada-Rodriguez

We all know what utilizing angles in boxing means, or, at least we think we do. This is often defined as not coming straight in against an opponent, entering the pocket off a little bit to the side. A fighter who can do this on a consistent basis can have significant advantages over more stationary opponents. 

However, there is an even more advanced level to using angles, the ability to create additional punching opportunities at close range with subtle movement. This is far more than being clever on the way in. This is mastering body positioning while in an opponent's firing range. And there is no better fighter in boxing today than Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez with this skill. 

At just 24, Rodriguez has now beaten a Hall of Famer in Juan Francisco Estrada, an excellent champion in Sunny Edwards, and decorated former champions Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. More than his youth or power or boxing fundamentals, Bam's X-Factor is this mastery of angles in close quarters. Simply put, he can do things at an expert level that even great fighters can't do. 

Estrada (right) on his way to the canvas
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

So, when watching Rodriguez against Estrada, who himself had some of the best movement in the sport over the last decade, I was immediately struck by Bam's quick pivots, subtle weight shifts, and resets in the pocket. In these instances, he created angles to land and executed on his punches before Estrada could defend them. More than anything else, this was the clear skill gap to me between the two. And Estrada was a fighter who sat comfortably on the sport's pound-for-pound list for many years; Bam was often dominating an elite opponent. 

It's worth mentioning that Bam had sparred with Roman Gonzalez in preparation for this fight. The great Chocolatito had a legendary three-fight series with Estrada. And Gonzalez had a similar advantage over Estrada with his ability in close quarters. Bam has picked up a lot from Chocolatito over the years and as fluid as Chocalitito was in close range, I don't think that he had Bam's athleticism. So, while Chocalitito understood all the angles and body positioning, he couldn't move as fast as Bam. Bam gets where he needs to go faster.  

Estrada-Rodriguez will be remembered for the three knockdowns in the fight, a perfect three-punch combination by Bam in the 4th, Estrada with his own three-punch combo in the sixth, and Bam with the uppercut to the body detonation in the seventh. It was a fight that had indelible moments. But in addition to those sequences, I will remember Bam bossing Estrada in the pocket, dominating many of the exchanges and hurting Estrada often with punches that Estrada couldn't see coming or didn't have the ability to react to them. 

After the fight, Estrada spoke about exercising his rematch clause. He repeatedly beat himself up about mistakes he made during the fight. I'm sure that there was a large dose of pride in his sentiments; it can be tough to admit a fighter's best is now in the past and to concede that an opponent is simply better. 

I will grant Estrada this, however: I think that he did fall victim to his success toward the end of the fight. The beginning of the sixth round was masterful stuff from the old warrior. Poking and prodding with one-twos, you could see Estrada gaining confidence with his ability to land. 

And then, he changed the sequence. He threw a double jab, one to the head and one below Bam's right arm, and then followed up with a straight right hand. The jab to body threw off Bam's defense, leaving an opening up top. In that sequence, Estrada showed Bam and the boxing world at large that he could still get one over on the young phenom. 

But then consider where Estrada was at the conclusion of the fight...losing an exchange of bombs at close range. Essentially, Estrada got sucked into Bam's fight. He was playing hero ball instead of conceding that his opponent had superior power at that range. It was a battle of machismo that Estrada lost. 

Rodriguez raises his hands after the final knockdown
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

At his best Estrada had always mixed in significant stretches of movement outside the pocket to go along with his power punching. Now it's possible at 34 that he can't move like he once did, but he didn't even really use his legs in the fight. He was either so shook by Bam's power early in the fight that it took him out of his game plan, or he stayed in close trying to prove a point. That Estrada referenced his "mistakes" so often in the post-fight interview indicates that he believes that he could have boxed more intelligently. Maybe so. 

I wouldn't like Estrada' chances in a rematch. He will only have gotten older. Historically, 34 is ancient for the 115-lb. division, recent exceptions aside. And Bam most likely will continue to get better. 

As terrific as Bam's performance was, I hope that the sequence that led to him getting knocked down will be a point of emphasis for his next camp with trainer Robert Garcia. It's not that Bam got hit with a shot, that happens of course, but that sequence showed that he was outthought, that he was too exuberant. With one subtle change by Estrada, Bam lost defensive responsibility. And that's not a trivial matter. Estrada didn't land something outlandish for the knockdown. It was a simple double jab/right hand, the kind of combination that Bam has seen thousands of times before. But yet, in that moment, under the bright lights, with all the adrenaline flowing, Bam lost his defense.  

To the positive, Bam recovered very well after getting dropped. He continued to press Estrada and connect with his power punches. His final left uppercut in the seventh round might become the signature moment of his career highlight reel. 

If I'm being completely honest, I think that Bam's biggest weakness right now might also be one of his strengths. He's almost always around his opponent ready to pounce. This constant aggression makes him a beast to deal with, but it does make him hittable. Estrada is a solid puncher, with a respectable knockout percentage, but he's not a lights-out, one-shot guy. Bam is fortunate that he wasn't dropped by a harder hitter. 

Bam fights in a way that gives opponents opportunities. I think that a final step in his development will be to learn when to back off, to pace a fight a little better, to win slow rounds. He doesn't need to be full throttle as much as he is. His current style makes for truly captivating television, but he needs to exert a little bit more control. He has the aptitude, physical dimensions and technical skills to win rounds at all ranges.  

For the moment, the boxing world is Bam's oyster. Despite fighting at 115 lbs., he has already become a legitimate attraction in the U.S. boxing market. His fights are easy on the eyes and boxing fans don't need to be sold on his talent; it's obvious for everyone to see. 

Let's hope that he enjoys the ride and continues to make strides in the ring. The physical tools are all there. His boxing skills are sublime, but it's that final part of his development that needs a bit more refining. Brawls are fun, but dominating an opponent mentally, not just physically, is the final step. Estrada still fancies his chances in a rematch. He had enough success to believe that the rematch could be different. Bam left a little too much of himself on the table. He didn't remove hope. If he can reach that next precipice, there could be no stopping him. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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