It’s hard to imagine how an undefeated champion with several credible wins on his resume is made-to-order for a beating, but that’s exactly what coach Robert Garcia anticipates when
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez takes on Fernando “Pumita” Martinez on Saturday.
The Ring, WBC, and WBO junior bantamweight champion Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) will take on the WBA title holder Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) as part of “
The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” card at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on
DAZN PPV.
“On paper, Puma does look like the toughest opponent to date,” Rodriguez's coach and The Ring’s 2024 Trainer of the Year Garcia told
The Ring.
“But styles make fights, and I think Puma is a perfect style for Bam. In reality, we're not taking this fight lightly. I think Bam can actually make this fight – I don't want to say an easy fight, because it kind of sounds a little too cocky, and too confident, and I don't want people to think that – but I think with Puma's style coming straight to Bam, it could be a fight were Bam looks sensational and ends the fight by knockout.”
Martinez, a 34-year-old from Argentina and The Ring’s No. 1 contender at 115 pounds, has made a name for himself by scoring back-to-back
wins against former world champion Kazuto Ioka by unanimous decision. Martinez also has two wins against former titleholder Jerwin Ancajas by unanimous decision as well.
Martinez has held a 115-pound crown since 2022, and would have the IBF title as well had he not vacated it in October of last year to instead pursue a rematch against Ioka. Martinez unified the titles by beating Ioka in July of last year and repeated the feat this May, only this time, to defend his WBA belt.
Rodriguez – The Ring’s No. 6-ranked pound-for-pound fighter – is also coming in white hot with wins against Juan Francisco Estrada, Sunny Edwards, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Carlos Cuadras, and,
most recently in July, against Phumelela Cafu.
Oddsmakers reflect the same confidence Garcia has in Rodriguez, who is a -1000 betting favorite. Martinez, meanwhile, is a +600 underdog, according to DraftKings.
The Ring IV: Night of the Champions takes place on Saturday, November 22 and will stream live on DAZN PPV from 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. GMT (UK: £24.99; US: $59.99). Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.