Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez reveals pound-for-pound boxing goal

Two-weight world champion Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez has revealed his ambitions of cementing himself as the pound-for-pound boxing number one and feels victory over Phumelela Cafu in July will edge him closer to realising his dream.

The Mexican superstar takes on the unbeaten South African champion Cafu in a mouthwatering super-flyweight unification showdown in Texas on July 19, with the WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine straps all on the line.

Rodriguez is looking to unify titles in the 115lbs division having previously done so at flyweight in truly spectacular fashion against Sunny Edwards in December 2023.

The Mexican-American has since stepped back up a weight class, emphatically stopping Juan Francisco Estrada to capture WBC and Ring Magazine gold before making a successful first defence of those belts against Pedro Guevara last year.

Attentions are now turning towards WBO title-holder Cafu ahead of their blockbuster summer showdown though, and whilst Rodriguez will be taking nothing for granted, he says he can't help but cast his eye towards ultimate pound-for-pound supremacy.

"I’m so happy to be fighting in Dallas, it’s great to fight back in my home state, I’m happy to be back home - this is a huge fight and a huge opportunity," he told Matchroom Boxing.

I have so many ambitions in the sport, and I would love to be number one pound-for-pound - that's one of the biggest goals in the sport.

- Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez (Matchroom Boxing)

"There’s a lot of bragging rights being there, and I feel that I can go so far forward from where I am currently at.

"I’m never satisfied, there’s always more to gain and win, so I can go ten times higher from here. I would love to go undisputed, so that’s two more fights at 115lbs, so we’ll see how it pans out."

The supremely talented Texan is set to make a return to his home state for the first time since he became a two-weight world champion there in April 2023.

The 25-year-old collected overcame Cristian Gonzalez to pick up the then vacant WBO flyweight strap after making the decision to drop down from super-flyweight.

‘Bam’ has enjoyed a remarkable rise to superstardom since that night and believes his ascendance is proof that there boxing is equally as hot outside of the marquee heavyweight division.

"It’s bad ass seeing the smaller weights shine," the Matchroom prizefighter added.

"When I was an amateur, it was Chocolatito that was doing it and I was like ‘Damn, this is cool,’ so for me to be in the same position, it means a lot.

"I want to keep flying the flag and if I can get myself up that pound-for-pound list, hopefully to the very top, then that would represent something truly special for me."

Rodriguez’s clash with Cafu tops a stacked card in Frisco, with the chief support bout of the evening pitting the explosive and unbeaten Diego Pacheco defending his USWBC and WBO International Super-Middleweight titles against Trevor McCumby.

Mark Mothershaw

• Matchroom
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