Error code: %{errorCode}
Rodriguez-Cafu: The fights that can make 'Bam' the next pound-for-pound No 1
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez will step into the ring for the first time in 2025 when he faces fellow super-flyweight champion Phumelele Cafu in a unification clash on Saturday night.
At just 25, Rodriguez is already a two-weight world champion and sits seventh on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list.
The top five – Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev – are all went into their thirties and could head into retirement in the not-too-distant future.
Fighters in the lower weight classes can struggle for recognition at times, but Rodriguez could soon get the opportunity to be boxing’s next pound-for-pound No 1.
Here are the fights he should be targeting to reach the top of the mountain.
Achieve undisputed status at super-flyweight
If Rodriguez can beat Cafu this weekend, he will add the WBO belt to his WBC and The Ring titles.
He is already being lined up for another unification bout with WBA titlist Fernando Martinez in November, which would leave him just one belt away from undisputed status.
Willibaldo Garcia holds the IBF title, and Rodriguez could chase him down to become undisputed champion in the first half of 2026.
The current top five pound-for-pound fighters have all been undisputed champions and Rodriguez would add to his legacy by joining them in this elite club.
(Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Kenshiro Teraji
Teraji won a light-flyweight world title in just his 10th professional fight and held onto it for four years before losing to Masamichi Yabuki.
He immediately avenged that loss and has since moved up to flyweight to become a unified champion in that weight class.
He is now the ninth-ranked pound-for-pound boxer in the world, just two spots below Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is also only one division above him, with the flyweight and super-flyweight categories separated by just three pounds.
This makes a potential fight viable, and it would be another feather in the cap for Rodriguez if he can take out a fellow top 10 pound-for-pound star.
Junto Nakatani
Beating Teraji would be impressive, but taking out Nakatani would take Rodriguez to another level altogether.
Nakatani is a place higher than Rodriguez on the pound-for-pound list after becoming the dominant force in the bantamweight division.
He has been a world champion in three divisions and has won all 31 of his professional fights, with 24 victories inside the distance.
Rodriguez and Nakatani’s styles would also make for an intriguing match-up. They are both southpaws, although Nakatani is four inches taller and would have a significant reach advantage.
However, the Japanese star is happy to stand in the pocket and trade, and Rodriguez would be more than happy to fight him at close quarters.
Rodriguez’s trainer Robert Garcia has revealed talks have taken place over a fight with Nakatani, and moving up a division to beat an undefeated champion would be huge for Bam’s career.
Naoya Inoue
This would be the ultimate fearless move by Rodriguez. Inoue is the No 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and has been an undisputed champion in two weight divisions.
He has won 27 of his 30 bouts by knockout and is a national hero in Japan. Inoue is also currently fighting two weight classes above Rodriguez. But this only amounts to seven pounds – not an insurmountable gap.
Inoue is a class act and fully deserves to be rated as one of the best boxers on the planet, but he has been knocked down in two of his last four fights, both times by southpaws.
Rodriguez may sense a chink in his armour and could look to take advantage of it.
It would be a risk for him to move up half a stone to take on a huge puncher, but these are the challenges he may have to take to become a pound-for-pound great.
Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN
Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. Buy the PPV now here.
