Boxing stars take to the mound at Chase Field

By Johanna-Rosalye Luna

PHOENIX, AZ – World-champion boxers Juan Francisco Estrada and Jesse Rodriguez traded their gloves for baseball mitts Wednesday night, throwing out ceremonial first pitches before the Arizona Diamondbacks’ game against the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field.

Estrada, known as “El Gallo” (The Rooster), and Rodriguez, nicknamed “Bam,” were joined on the field by Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera and infielder Blaze Alexander to complete the first-pitch tradition. Both boxers unleashed high fastballs that dipped dramatically before reaching the D-backs duo behind the plate.

The appearance served as a prelude to one of boxing’s most anticipated upcoming fights, set for Saturday, June 29th in Phoenix. Estrada will defend his WBC and Ring Magazine super-flyweight titles against the undefeated Rodriguez.

Estrada, a 34-year-old Sonora, Mexico native, boasts a 44-3 record with 28 knockouts. The two-division world champion has held the WBC super flyweight title since 2022 and the Ring super flyweight title since 2019.

His challenger, 24-year-old Rodriguez, is unbeaten with a perfect 19-0 record, including 12 knockouts. The southpaw recently vacated his IBF flyweight title in order to challenge Estrada for the WBC junior bantamweight crown. In his last outing, Rodriguez defeated Sunny Edwards by TKO in December to add the IBF belt to his existing WBO title.

Boxing fans can catch a free public weigh-in on Friday in downtown Phoenix, where all eyes will be on the champions as they tip the scales.

The fight card also features intriguing matchups between Sunny Edwards and Adrian Curiel, Yamileth Mercado and Ramla Ali, and Arturo Cardenas and Danny Barrios.

The Estrada-Rodriguez title fight takes place Saturday, June 29th at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. The main card leading up to the championship clash is slated to begin at 4:00 pm PT.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.