Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez believes fans still have not seen anything close to his full ability as he prepares to challenge Antonio Vargas for the WBA bantamweight title on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
Rodriguez is moving up to 118lbs for the first time and is chasing a world title in a third division. Already considered one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters, the unbeaten southpaw says the bigger the challenge, the better he performs.
“I feel like I haven’t even showed 50% of what I’m capable of,” Rodriguez said. “But the tougher the opponent, then the better my performance.”
Bam also admitted that normal title defenses no longer motivate him the same way. The chance to face Vargas for another belt in a new division was exactly the kind of challenge he wanted. “If it’s not a world title fight, then it really doesn’t interest me,” Rodriguez said.
The move to bantamweight could also help him physically. Rodriguez says he feels sharper, stronger and faster now that he no longer has to cut the extra weight to make 115lbs.
Rodriguez enters on a five-fight stoppage streak, and a strong win over Vargas would only add to the talk of bigger fights ahead. But for now, Bam says the next version of himself comes out Saturday night.
Image Credit: The Ring