WBC junior-bantamweight king Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has been promised a November date with WBA titleholder Fernando “Pumita” Martinez on Turki Alalshikh's next Riyadh Season blockbuster - provided the Texan does his part against unbeaten Phumelele Cafu on July 19 in Frisco.
Rodriguez is a prohibitive favourite to dispatch South Africa’s Cafu, and victory would hand the 25-year-old a third sanctioning-body belt and set the stage for a three-title shoot-out with Martinez. Already No. 7 on The Ring pound-for-pound list, “Bam” has iced three straight opponents, including a seventh-round knockout of Juan Francisco Estrada that shook up the 115-lb hierarchy in 2024.
Martinez touches down in November on the back of consecutive decision wins over Kazuto Ioka in Japan and, at 33, views a unification with Rodriguez as the launch pad to undisputed status. The Argentine’s relentless volume contrasts neatly with Rodriguez’s switch-hitting artistry - an ingredients list tailor-made for Riyadh’s high-gloss showcase.
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The Rodriguez-Martinez clash will join a stacked card already featuring David Benavidez-Anthony Yarde (WBC light-heavyweight), Brian Norman Jr-Devin Haney (WBO welterweight) and Abdullah Mason-Sam Noakes (vacant WBO lightweight).
For now, the path is clear: take care of business against Cafu, then chase near-history in Riyadh. The junior-bantamweight division hasn’t seen three belts unified since Naoya Inoue; Rodriguez and Martinez have 12 summer rounds o keep that dream alive.
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