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How does Puma Martinez beat Bam Rodriguez, and what would it mean
Ring Magazine
Analysis
Nate Marrero
Nate Marrero
RingMagazine.com
How does Puma Martinez beat Bam Rodriguez, and what would it mean
For much of Fernando "Puma" Martinez’s career, he’s flown under the radar.

That can change emphatically on Saturday when he faces Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 115-pound unification title bout between undefeated champions on “The Ring IV: Night of Champions” at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on DAZN PPV. Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) enters the clash with the WBA title, while Rodriguez has The Ring, WBC and WBO titles.

Martinez, from Argentina, was the unified IBF and WBA 115-pound champion but vacated the former in favor of rematching Kazuto Ioka. He'd beaten him for the WBA strap. Martinez got up from a knockdown to win unanimously again earlier this year.




Before beating Ioka, Martinez, 34, won the IBF title from Jerwin Ancajas in 2022 and defended it twice. The first came in a rematch against Ancajas and then an 11th-round stoppage victory over the then-undefeated Jade Bornea.

“This will be one of the toughest fights of my career,” Martinez told The Ring of facing Rodriguez. “I know he has great punching power, but he is not as experienced as me. I am coming from several years as a professional and I just fought with two monsters in this category, two guys who were champions for a long time. I have the experience to run him over. I will punch him a lot and close his mouth.”




Last fight: Defeated Ioka by unanimous decision on May 11 at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Japan.

Odds: Puma is a significant underdog at plus-600 odds on DraftKings.

How does Puma win? He’ll have to lean heavily on his pressure and ability to turn it into a firefight.

If the fight is too clean, Rodriguez's angles and combination punching will carry the day. Martinez's best chances are turning the fight into a brawl and getting the best of the exchanges. Punching with someone who moves as well as Rodriguez will likely give him his best chance to get the unified champion out of rhythm.

Going to the body should also be a focal point for Martinez. It’s an uphill climb, especially against someone who can punch like Rodriguez.

What does it mean if he wins: This would be a significant upset and cause a seismic change to the boxing landscape. Rodriguez is in the top 10 of respected pound-for-pound lists and No. 6 on The Ring’s. It wouldn’t shock anyone if he were to one day find himself atop them.

What they’re saying: “I want the glory, just like Messi. I want to get all the records just like him. We’re getting ready to bring this victory to Argentina.” — Martinez

TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View; $59.99 in the U.S. (2 p.m. ET); £24.99 in the UK (7 p.m. BST).
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