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A future fight with Inoue, and a chance to spoil the party: Three reasons to watch 'Bam' Rodriguez vs Phumelela Cafu on DAZN
WBC and Ring Magazine super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is back in action on tonight when he attempts to unify with WBO titleholder Phumelele Cafu.
This is a contest which could kick off a huge 2025 for Rodriguez with his next bout after Cafu set to be against WBA champion Fernando Daniel Martinez on November 22 in Riyadh.
But if Rodriguez is to make this contest happen, he first needs to deal with Cafu who is undefeated with a record of 11-0-3 (8 KOs).
Ahead of the opening bell in Dallas, DAZN News’ Matt Astbury takes a look at the key storylines going into the contest.
‘Bam’ Rodriguez bidding to become a two-weight unified champion
At the age of 25, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has already achieved so much in a young career.
He has enjoyed world title success at both flyweight and super flyweight and has beaten the likes of Sunny Edwards and the legendary Juan Francisco Estrada in his 21 professional bouts so far.
Against Cafu, Rodriguez can continue to cement his status as one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters by unifying world titles at super flyweight after doing the same with the WBO and IBF belts at flyweight.
Is Inoue showdown on the horizon?
One name which continues to be linked with ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue.
Testing and credible opponents are running out for Inoue who is sweeping away anyone who stands in his way with ease, and with Rodriguez operating two weight divisions below, there is a real possibility the American could be in the running to face ‘The Monster’.
With Rodriguez seemingly on a quest to clear up at super flyweight, a meeting with Inoue will not be in his immediate plans, but if he can become an undisputed champion at super flyweight, an ‘undisputed vs undisputed’ showdown between Rodriguez and Inoue at some point in 2026 would be a contest for the ages.
Cafu looking to spoil the party
Melina Pizano/Matchroom
A lot of the attention will be on ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in fight week, and this could be used as an advantage by Phumelele Cafu.
The South African will likely be able to go about his preparations unbothered and focus solely on the task at hand.
It will no doubt be a hostile atmosphere at The Ford Center and Cafu will have to overcome that if he is to beat a pound-for-pound star.
But if he manages to spoil the party and unify the WBC and WBO world titles at super flyweight, Cafu will be the talk of the boxing world and be hailed as a hero in his home country.
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