Jesse Rodriguez vs Sunny Edwards Prediction and Betting Tips: Britain's flyweight champion to unify the division
Britain's IBF flyweight holder Sunny Edwards faces his WBO counterpart Jesse Rodriguez in a 12-round unification fight in Arizona this weekend.
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This is another absorbing stylistic matchup in the lower echelons of the sport's weight classes, branded as Fury vs Usyk for flyweights by former WBO super-featherweight champion Barry Jones. Edwards is The Ring's no.1 rated flyweight, earning a number of domestic titles as a promising amateur then turning professional in 2016 and winning a flyweight world title, just like his brother, Charlie, before him. Since then, he's defended his belt successfully four times, most notably besting Felix Alvarado unanimously at the Sheffield Arena last November.
Three notches down on the 1922 boxing magazine's reputable list is 'Bam' Rodriguez, another decorated amateur who turned professional at the tender age of 17 and seized his opportunity to claim the vacant WBC title over Carlos Cuadras at two weight classes higher. The now 23-year-old decided to drop back down in weight, picking up the 112lbs belt last time out and suffered a broken jaw in his career-high victory over Cristian Gonzalez.
Jesse Rodriguez vs Sunny Edwards Tips
Both fighters bring slick styles to this contest. Bam is the aggressor who's fully capable of boxing at range, while Sunny is a punch and move fighter, scoring points on the counter. After Rodriguez made a big splash on the scene in early 2022, he has unhanded his own momentum. His bouts with Israel Gonzalez and Cristian Gonzalez weren't mightily impressive, with the latter providing Edwards with a possible path to victory, putting lateral movement to great use and limiting Bam's ability to close the gap.
Speedster Sunny Edwards can use his fancy footwork and ability to land flush on the outside to compensate for his lack of punching power. His composure, especially when trapped on the ropes as someone like Bam could initiate this weekend, along with his sharp jab, will be key to recording a lot of punches and also prevent his opponent from unloading his rapid-fire combinations. Bam tends to overreach a lot, particularly his jab, so Sunny's counter measures may make this a real stylistic nightmare for the home fighter in Arizona.
The Londoner should take the first few rounds as Bam adjusts to his polished work, and then as the fight becomes a more back-and-forth affair we can see just how exceptional Sunny's defence is. This is a real 50-50 fight matchup and at odds of almost 2/1, we like the price for Edwards' elusive style to get the better of the Texan stateside.
Similarly, at a shade over the same price line, we're backing Sunny to complete his task via decision in the southwestern US state. This is certainly no denigration of Rodriguez's talent, as the 23-year-old has impressed, developing real pound-for-pound abilities it seems. However, his 27-year-old senior has perplexed a number of his opponents, now being offered the opportunity to deliver in the big moments he's long been talking about.
Rodriguez has been able to do a number on fellow aggressors like Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, but in Edwards he has a target who isn't nearly as easy to find. If the Brit is at his absolute slick best, which we believe he will be inside enemy territory on Saturday, then Bam won't be able to land flush and therefore Sunny's conditioning and technical work will see him through those championship rounds.
There aren't any doubts that this contest will be a real chess-match between two shrewd operators, who will be difficult to separate but ultimately whose styles will offer a slight edge to the more defensive-minded fighter. He can make Bam fight his fight and outbox him for the majority of the 12 rounds, having his hand raised in a split-decision win, which will undoubtedly spark calls for a rematch or even establish this meeting as the first in a proposed trilogy.
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