Jesse \u201cBam\u201d Rodriguez has set a goal to clear out the junior bantamweight division within two fights before moving up to the next weight class. The San Antonio-based fighter is set to face Fernando Daniel Martinez for three world titles at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will also feature world title bouts such as David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde in the light heavyweight division and Brian Norman vs. Devin Haney in the welterweight division.<\/p>\n
Currently holding the WBC and WBO titles, 25-year-old Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) captured his second belt by defeating Phumelela Cafu in July and is ranked among ESPN\u2019s Pound-for-Pound best. His opponent, 34-year-old Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the WBA champion, ranked fifth, and has successfully defended his title four times.<\/p>\n
If Bam wins against Martinez, he will need to secure just one more belt to become the undisputed 115-pound champion. That remaining IBF title is held by Willibaldo Garcia, who will fight Kenshiro Terachi on December 25 in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is undisputed,\u201d Bam said in an interview with ESPN. \u201cIf I get past Martinez, there\u2019s only one belt left, so I\u2019m pretty close to achieving that.\u201d He added that after two more fights at junior bantamweight, he plans to move up in weight, aiming for a potential showdown with the IBF champion, confident that his team will make it happen.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez described Martinez as a relentless fighter but feels well-prepared. He expressed excitement about the high-profile card and its positive impact on boxing.<\/p>\n
This upcoming match will be Bam\u2019s third defense at junior bantamweight following his world title unification at flyweight. He envisions competing up to featherweight (126 pounds) and anticipates rivalries with champions like Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my career will end at 126 pounds,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cAn Inoue vs. Nakatani fight will definitely happen someday. It would be a great match, and whoever lands first will win.\u201d He also expressed his fondness for Japan, noting his enjoyment of fighting there and the support from fans.<\/p>\n
Fan Take: This series of fights could significantly reshape the junior bantamweight division and set the stage for thrilling matchups at featherweight, escalating global interest in boxing. Rodriguez\u2019s pursuit of undisputed status highlights the sport\u2019s evolving competitive landscape, promising unforgettable moments for fight fans worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jesse \u201cBam\u201d Rodriguez has set a goal to clear out the junior bantamweight division within two fights before moving up to the next weight class. The San Antonio-based fighter is set to face Fernando Daniel Martinez for three world titles at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will also feature world title […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-26972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}