Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez impressively recaptured the WBC super flyweight belt last year. Now the pound-for-pound star is set to compete in a unification in July.
Super flyweight Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is only 25 years old, but is already one of the pound-for-pound stars on the professional circuit. Now the reigning WBC champion wants to unify the titles in his limit, as boxing insider Dan Rafael reports.
Who should Rodriguez box against?
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is working on arranging a duel between his protégé and WBO title holder Phumelele Cafu. The unification is scheduled to take place on July 19 in Dallas (USA). After “Bam” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 knockouts) unified the IBF and WBO flyweight world championship belts in December 2023 with a knockout of Sunny Edwards, he returned to super-flyweight. The Texan had already won his first world title there in 2022.
Rodriguez was not fazed on his return to the 52.163 kilogram limit. In June 2024, he put in a strong performance when he knocked out prospective hall-of-famer Juan Francisco Estrada in the seventh round. In doing so, Bam also regained the WBC superfly belt. In November, he then sent his mandatory challenger Pedro Guevara into the realm of dreams with a spectacular knockout in the third.
Even after this brilliant performance, Hearn and Rodriguez declared that a unification fight was their next goal. “Now we have to see Bam unite the division,” said Hearn. And the young star added: “I’m ready right now.”
What is the situation at super flyweight?
The first step is now a unification against WBO world champion Phumelele Cafu. WBA title holder Fernando Martinez is currently unavailable as he is due to fight a rematch against former champion Kazuto Ioka in Tokyo on May 11. The IBF super flyweight title is vacant and is expected to be fought on May 23 in Mexico between Willibaldo Garcia and Rene Calixto. In December, the two Mexicans drew in a duel for the vacant crown.
Like Rodriguez, Cafu (11-0-3, 8 knockouts) is a southpaw and won the WBO title in October in Japan with a surprising split decision against Kosei Tanaka. “My goal is to be ‘Undisputed’,” said the 26-year-old South African. “I want to fight the big names of the limit like ‘Bam’ and Martinez.”
Text: Frank Schwantes