The return of Jesse “Bam” Rodríguez has been scheduled for June 13, when he is set to face with the Ex-WBA Interim bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas, a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, told me. The deal is in place, with only an official announcement from the promoters still pending.
The venue remains up in the air, with Phoenix, Arizona, and San Antonio, Texas, emerging as the frontrunners to stage the cross divisional championship clash.
Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is set for the second defense of his WBA bantamweight strap following a rapid climb to full champion status. The Puerto Rican was elevated from interim to full titleholder after Seiya Tsutsumi was forced out due to injury, before backing it up with a rugged, high pressure draw against Daigo Higa, where a late knockdown proved crucial in keeping his belt.
Originally, Vargas was lined up for a consolidation bout with Tsutsumi, but the Japanese champion remains on the shelf, opening the door for a far bigger opportunity against one of the sport’s most dangerous and active champions.
On the other side, Rodríguez (20-0, 13 KOs), the Mexican American unified champion at 115 pounds, continues to move like a fighter unwilling to sit still or wait on politics. “Bam” had been pushing hard for full unification at super flyweight, but with the IBF situation stalled as Willibaldo García prepares to defend against mandatory challenger Andrew Moloney his team opted to stay active and move up in weight.
Rodríguez has built serious momentum in recent years, stacking stoppage wins over elite level names including Sunny Edwards, Juan Francisco Estrada, Phumelela Cafu, and Fernando Martínez, cementing his status as one of the most in form champions in the sport.
Days earlier Rodríguez’s trainer Robert Garcia told BoxingScene that this was the direction they were leaning for his next move, while not fully ruling out a return to 115 pounds, leaving the door open for Rodríguez to drop back down in pursuit of completing the undisputed run in the super flyweight division should he come through the Vargas fight.
If finalized as expected, Vargas vs. Rodríguez shapes up as a high risk, high reward crossroads fight between two reigning champions operating in different divisions, with legitimate implications across both the bantamweight and super flyweight landscapes.
