Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez respects the five fighters ranked ahead of him on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list.
If he defeats
Fernando Martinez in the dominant fashion he anticipates next month, though, the 25-year-old San Antonio native believes he could make a credible case for entering a top five that consists of
Terence Crawford at number one, Oleksandr Usyk ranked second, Naoya Inoue rated third, Dmitry Bivol fourth and Artur Beterbiev fifth.
“Humbly enough, I’m able to say, you know, I feel like I’m placed correctly on the pound-for-pound list,” Rodriguez said during the newest episode of “Inside The Ring,” which premiered Monday on DAZN. “But come November 22nd, if I’m able to go out there and perform how I have been against a fighter like Martinez, that’s definitely gonna put me up there with the Usyks, Crawfords and ‘The Monster’ [Inoue].”
Their 12-rounder will part of “The Ring IV: Night of Champions,” a four-fight pay-view event
DAZN will distribute in the United States ($59.99) and the UK (£24.99).
Phoenix’s David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) will defend his WBC light heavyweight title against England’s Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) in the 12-round main event.
Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC), of Conyers, Georgia, and former undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney (32-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC), of Henderson, Nevada, will fight for Norman’s WBO welterweight title in the 12-round co-feature.
Competing on such a stacked card has energized Rodriguez, a skillful, strong southpaw who wants to become undisputed champion in the 115-pound division before he moves up to bantamweight.
“I’ve said it in previous interviews, my last fight I was the main event in my home state of Texas,” Rodriguez said in reference to his 10th-round technical knockout of South Africa’s Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco. “And, you know, I wasn’t nowhere near as excited as I am for this card. So, I think that just goes to show how big this card [is], how big the card is gonna be. So, just to be part of something like this, it’s a blessing. … If anything, it’s just gonna make me fight harder to go out there and perform, like you said, steal the show.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.