Abel Mendoza’s unbeaten run will move forward again on May 16, with a fight against Javier Rodriguez set to push the Texan toward 44-0.
The number is climbing — the credibility is not.
On paper, the trajectory is clear and on course to rack up one of the most prominent resumes in the sport. But the deeper down the rabbit hole of lesser names Mendoza goes, the more questions that record begins to raise.
Mendoza sits seven fights away from Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 benchmark, a number that has defined modern boxing’s perfect record.
However, as has been the case throughout his rise, the details behind that standout figure tell a more complicated story.
World Boxing News has previously documented discrepancies around Mendoza’s ledger as bouts were verified and added over time, including a July 2025 Colombia result that officially moved him to 43-0.
The figure now stands after being briefly removed, but scrutiny over its depth has followed him throughout.
Record vs reality
After signing a recent promotional deal, Mendoza promised a step-up. In fairness to him, Rodriguez is one compared to some of the Colombia-staged events he’s been involved in.
Premier Boxing Champions have seen enough in Mendoza to snap him up to its roster. The expectation was that he would take a visible leap in class — not just a marginal one.
When a boxer aligns with PBC and Al Haymon, one of the top promoters in the United States, and then promises tougher tests, it’s hard to accept this as the Texan’s 44th fight.
At stages over the last few months, Mendoza has called out Isaac Cruz and targeted fights with Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero. The expectation was clear — and this isn’t it.
But when it comes to naming opponents, it’s been the same consistent story for Mendoza. This latest venture, therefore, falls short of the progression that was expected.
The 43-0 benchmark
Surpassing Terence Crawford’s 43-0, which Mendoza did last year and can improve on next month at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, should come with some sort of warning label.
The number carries weight on its own after comparisons when Crawford retired, but context frames how much it actually means in the cold light of day.
Crawford’s run to 43-0 came against elite opposition across multiple weight classes, culminating in undisputed success. Mendoza’s path, by contrast, has been built on activity and volume, often against opposition with padded records.
Several opponents on that run arrived with losing records or limited experience, reinforcing the pattern.
That gap goes a long way to explaining the reaction to this latest opponent.
Opponent under scrutiny
As it turns out, Rodriguez, ironically carrying the same ‘Pitbull’ name as Cruz, arrives in poor form after eking his way through a six-year career that stalled in 2017.
He returned seven years later but has failed to make an impact, with Mendoza set to be just his third fight in nine years.
Rodriguez enters with a 17-3-3 record, but inactivity and lack of progression leave serious questions about what he brings to the contest.
Less like a Pitbull or more a Miniature Bull Terrier in terms of his place in the grand scheme of the sport.
Closing on 50-0
Mendoza is moving closer to Mayweather’s 50-0, but without the kind of defining fights that gave that record its meaning in the first place.
Previous WBN analysis has already tracked how threats to Mayweather’s benchmark have come and gone, with fighters like Jaime Munguia and Gilberto Ramirez falling short when stepping up, and others failing to maintain the activity required to reach the number.
Mendoza now sits in a different category — one where the record continues to climb, but the questions remain.
Reaching 44-0 keeps him on course mathematically. The credibility still doesn’t follow.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
