Junior bantamweight Daniel Barrera favors Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez over Juan Francisco Estrada in their upcoming bout, believing youth will be the deciding factor.
Barrera recently defeated Christian Robles at the Chumash Casino and Resort.
Barrera (7-0-1, 4 KOs), 22, competes at the same weight as Rodriguez and Estrada. Despite also training in Riverside, California, Barrera has not yet sparred with Rodriguez but has sparred with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, whom he credits with helping him transition from amateur to professional boxing.
“Obviously, Estrada is one of the best in the division, he is a veteran in the sport,” Barrera said. “If Bam took his training camp seriously and was 100 per cent dedicated, I feel like Bam can pull it off just because Estrada is getting on the older side. Estrada will still be a tough fighter regardless, but I think Bam has the skills to pull this fight off.”
Barrera is eager to spar with Rodriguez, too.
“I have yet to spar him, but that is one person I do want to spar,” Barrera added. “What I can say about him as a fighter is he is a phenomenal fighter. He dominated Sunny Edwards, which I thought he was going to do, but that is great experience for him. I know he and ‘Chocolatito’ [Roman Gonzalez] just sparred. I wonder how that sparring went; it probably went really well.”
Nicknamed “Chucky”, Barrera acknowledges he is two to three years away from a title shot, targeting the age 24 or 25 for that opportunity and hoping to face Rodriguez if circumstances align.
“That would be a great fight to put on for all the fans,” Barrera said. “If he is still at 115 by the time I get there, then that’ll be great. He may retire, he may move up to 118, you never know. If we have the opportunity, I would love to get in there with Bam.”