Perhaps the two best flyweights in the world will clash to unify their titles and hand their opponent the first loss of their professional career.
WBO flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and IBF titleholder Sunny Edwards will battle for flyweight supremacy at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on December 16.
WATCH: Jesse Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards, live on DAZN
Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) burst onto the scene in 2022 when he accepted a fight on less than a week’s notice against Carlos Cuadras for the vacant WBC super flyweight title. Rodriguez dominated and became the youngest titleholder in boxing with a definitive unanimous decision. For an encore, “Bam” throttled former champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai later that year and earned an 8th-round stoppage to retain the title. After securing another title defense, Rodriguez dropped down to his natural weight at flyweight and won the vacant WBO title with a unanimous decision over Cristian Gonzalez.
Rodriguez has been knocking at the door of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the world but will have to get by the truly brilliant boxing pedigree of Sunny Edwards to truly be considered one of the best fighters in the world.
Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) has been masterful in his tenure at flyweight, winning the IBF title in 2021 by outclassing Moruti Mthalane. He has since had four successful title defenses with no opponent coming close to winning a decision against him. He wants to prove that he is one of the best in all of boxing and knows that defeating a heavy hitter like Rodriguez will get him the pound-for-pound credibility he believes he deserves.
The Sporting News takes a closer look at the fight from a betting perspective and offers some insight on how to bet on this phenomenal showdown between unbeaten champions.
Jesse Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards Betting Odds
Per DraftKings, Jesse Rodriguez is a -210 favorite while Sunny Edwards is listed as a +165 underdog.
Betting trends for Jesse Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards
Odds via DraftKings
Rodriguez via KO/TKO: +550 Rodriguez via Decision: -108 Edwards via KO/TKO: +1700 Edwards via Decision: +200 Draw: +1800
MORE: Everything you need to know about Jesse Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards
Jesse Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards prediction, best bets
There’s no denying that Sunny Edwards is an absolutely brilliant defensive boxer who makes his opponents pay when they are unable to land clean shots. Not a single judge has ever scored a fight in favor of his opponent throughout twenty professional fights. His ring IQ is phenomenal and he’s proven it time and time again that he’s a true student of the game.
However, the most overused response in boxing applies here.
Sunny Edwards has never faced anyone like “Bam” Rodriguez.
Aside from the obvious edge in power, Rodriguez has a massive seven-inch reach advantage and some of the most underrated footwork in boxing. He routinely finds himself in a position to unload his impressive power and finds ways to shrink the ring against the opposition.
Edwards is going to prove to be a difficult target to find but Rodriguez should eventually find it in the middle rounds as the Brit enjoys lingering in the pocket for a lot longer than he should. Edwards’ overconfidence may come back to bite him in the trenches where “Bam” will hit him wherever he can in an effort to wear the champion down in the later stages of the fight. And should Rodriguez be successful in slowing Edwards down, he’ll have opportunities to score a knockdown at some point if the Brit can’t escape the incoming barrage of power.
Edwards is certainly going to have his moments but he’s going to have to impress the judges with clean punching to win rounds as a clean Rodriguez power shot will carry significant value on the scorecards.
Although the line for Rodriguez by knockout is tempting at +550, the safe bet is taking him straight up because there is no definitive way for him to win the fight. He could win a narrow decision or stop Edwards. Given that Edwards has yet to truly have his chin tested, opting for Rodriguez to win at -210 is the right pick.
Sporting News prediction: Jesse Rodriguez to win (-210)