Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is on the verge of becoming a world champion in a third weight class. Ahead of his bout against WBA champion Antonio Vargas, the American star is convinced that boxing fans haven’t yet seen his full potential.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is already one of the best boxers in the world. But the Texan is convinced he has much more to offer. On Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona, the undefeated star boxer will step into the ring for the first time as a bantamweight and face WBA world champion Antonio Vargas in pursuit of his next world title.
Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) enters the fight as the clear favorite and could become a world champion in a third weight class with a win. The current No. 4 pound-for-pound star believes that fans have only seen a fraction of his abilities so far. “I feel like I can show the fans a lot more. In my past fights, I’ve never had to give 100 percent of my ability. The stronger the opponents get, the better I become,” Rodriguez told The Ring.
The next step in your career
The 26-year-old heads to Arizona on the back of five consecutive wins by stoppage. Most recently, he stopped Fernando Martinez in Saudi Arabia last November, securing the WBA super flyweight title. Now comes the next step in his career. “They could have put any bantamweight world champion in front of me and we would have said yes. Vargas was the one who was ready to fight,” said Rodriguez.
Despite being the favorite, the American isn’t expecting an easy night. He’ll be facing Vargas, the reigning world champion, who is heading into the first title defense of his career with confidence. Rodriguez even knows his opponent from sparring sessions they had together about ten years ago. “I remember that he was very fast. To be honest, that’s all I remember,” Rodriguez said of their time together.
In addition to winning more world championship belts, the Texan has long had his sights set on bigger goals. In the long run, he wants to be among the biggest names in the sport and continue to grow his popularity. “I’ve already come further than most boxers in my weight class. Now I just have to keep going and keep knocking out opponents. That’s how you win fans—and that’s exactly what I want to keep doing.”
With a win over Vargas, Rodriguez would not only claim another title but also set the stage for more high-profile fights. In particular, a future bout with the undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue is likely to become an increasingly real possibility.
Text by Robin Josten