2025 likely won’t be remembered as one of the most memorable years boxing has seen over the last decade, with the highs of Terence Crawford‘s victory over Canelo Alvarez on Netflix and the lows of the sport becoming even more fragmented, with high-priced PPVs emerging every other weekend. However, this weekend, The Ring IV event, one of the most stacked cards featuring four world title fights, will be held as part of Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia.
Arguably, the most highly regarded fighter on that card is San Antonio’s Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs). Rodriguez is a two-division world champion, having unified titles in both the flyweight and super flyweight divisions, and currently holds the WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine super flyweight titles. The San Antonio, Texas native will be looking to add the WBA super flyweight title to his ledger, facing Argentina’s Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) in a unification bout between two undefeated champions.
Since the turn of the century, boxing and sports in general have witnessed athletes maintaining an elite level of longevity for longer periods. However, make no mistake, boxing is still a young man’s game. Being in your prime matters. Rodriguez, who holds the number six spot in the Ring Magazine’s current pound-for-pound rankings, is the youngest fighter on this list and arguably the only fighter who has yet to reach his peak.
In 2022, Rodriguez took advantage of an opportunity in front of him and delivered by largely dominating Carlos Cuadras, a member of this era’s super flyweight Fab Four. Thereafter, Rodriguez has been on a run, putting forth memorable and consistent performances fight after fight, with only one or two exceptions where he looked less than spectacular. Rodriguez’s commanding victories over the likes of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Juan Francisco Estrada only cemented him, along with Naoya Inoue, as the premier fighter in the lower weight classes.
At 25 years of age, in a rare occurrence, Rodriguez has not only garnered the admiration of the majority of the boxing media but also his peers.
“Fernando Martinez is tougher than a combat boot,” said longtime boxing writer Steve Kim on a recent episode of The 3 Knockdown Rule podcast. “I don’t think he has the overall skill or sharpness to deal with a guy that I believe is an absolute young master of his craft in Bam Rodriguez.”
Former unified lightweight champion Devin Haney, who fights on the same card as Bam this weekend against Brian Norman for the WBO welterweight title, had only the highest praise for Rodriguez.
“He has a lot of skill,” Haney told Matchroom Boxing. “A lot of experience, being a top amateur to it’s a pro. I like his style. I like his angles. I like his punch placement. I think that he’s definitely a future GOAT. I think that he just shows so much skill and so much how much better he is than those guys, how he outclasses those guys at those weight classes that it separates him. You know that he’s special.”
Rodriguez, who fights under the tutelage of Robert Garcia, who has had one of the most elite stables of fighters over the last decade plus, has recognized Bam’s potential for years. Former world champion Mikey Garcia, now retired, recognized Rodriguez’s commitment to boxing early in his career.
“He’d be at the gym waiting, watching me train, watching me spar, watching me do the mitts, listening to my dad and my brother, giving me advice and tips,” Garcia explained to Matchroom Boxing. “So you could just tell that he was always like learning, constantly absorbing everything.”
Rodriguez is at the stage of his career where how you win is as important as winning itself. His opponent, Martinez, is no stranger to walking into a fight as an underdog and coming out victorious. He’s done it three times, once against Jerwin Acajas and twice against four-division champion Kazuto Ioka in Japan.
JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ VS. FERNANDO MARTINEZ PREDICTION
At this time, it’s challenging to imagine Rodriguez losing to anyone but himself. But it’s also unrealistic to expect a fighter to have near-perfect performances each time they step into the ring.
Expect Rodriguez to add another world title to his resume against Martinez, one step closer to undisputed super flyweight status. Martinez will bring him back down to earth, making Rodriguez look human and vulnerable at times. But as we’ve heard from those closest to him, it will only make Rodriguez better.
JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ VS. FERNANDO MARTINEZ BETTING ODDS
Per DraftKings SportsBook, Jesse Rodriguez is the favorite at -1100, and Fernando Martinez is the underdog at +650.
Jesse Rodriguez: TKO/KO -225; Decision +250
Draw: +2500
Fernando Martinez: TKO/KO +1100; Decision +1600
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