Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez attempts to win a world title in a third weight division on Saturday, June 13 when he challenges WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The 12-round main event tops a card promoted by Matchroom Boxing in association with Boxlab Promotions, with the main card streaming on DAZN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Rodriguez Arrives at 118 With a Clean Slate
Rodriguez, 23-0 with 16 knockouts, enters the bout days after formally exiting the junior bantamweight division. The 26-year-old San Antonio southpaw relinquished his WBA, WBC and WBO titles at 115 pounds this week, with trainer Robert Garcia confirming that letters were sent to all three sanctioning bodies. The WBC and WBO have each issued statements declaring their championships vacant.
His run at 115 pounds included a seventh-round knockout of Juan Francisco Estrada in June 2024, a tenth-round stoppage of Phumelele Cafu in July 2025 and a tenth-round knockout of Fernando Martinez in November 2025 in Riyadh, the win that unified three of the four major belts. Rodriguez has also held the WBO flyweight title, which he won against Cristian Gonzalez in 2023 and unified against Sunny Edwards.
“New weight class, same goals,” Rodriguez said when the fight was announced. “Dominate and pick up all the belts.”
Rodriguez has a strong history in the Phoenix area, where he stopped Edwards at Desert Diamond Arena in December 2023 and knocked out Estrada at nearby Footprint Center. The card landed in Glendale after Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Matchroom’s preferred venue, was held for a potential San Antonio Spurs playoff date.
Vargas Defends as a Heavy Underdog
Vargas, 19-1-1 with 11 knockouts, is a 29-year-old former United States Olympian from Kissimmee, Florida who represented his country at the 2016 Rio Games. He won the interim WBA title against Winston Guerrero in December 2024, was elevated to full champion, and fought Daigo Higa to a draw in Japan in July 2025. After a fight with former champion Seiya Tsutsumi was postponed multiple times, Vargas was again recognized as the division’s full champion.
“This is the kind of fight every fighter dreams about,” Vargas said during fight week. The champion enters as a significant underdog; DraftKings Sportsbook lists Rodriguez at minus-2500 and Vargas at plus-950.
A Rodriguez victory would make him a three-division world champion. The WBO, in its statement this week, referenced a potential future meeting between Rodriguez and its bantamweight champion Cristian “Chispa” Medina, while multiple reports have identified Naoya Inoue as a long-term target at 122 pounds.
Televised Undercard
Elif Nur Turhan vs. Gabriela Tellez, IBF women’s lightweight title, 10 rounds. Turhan, 13-0 with 8 knockouts, of Istanbul, Turkiye, makes the second defense of the belt she won by fifth-round stoppage of Beatriz Ferreira in December. The 31-year-old retained the title by split decision over Taylah Gentzen on January 31. Tellez, 7-0 with 3 knockouts, is a 19-year-old from San Antonio receiving her first world title opportunity. Trained by Jose Benavidez Sr., she stopped Crystal Garcia Nova in her most recent outing in February.
Arturo Cardenas vs. Jordan Martinez 2, junior bantamweights… junior featherweights, 10 rounds. Cardenas, 17-0-2 with 9 knockouts, of Sahuayo, Mexico, and Phoenix’s Martinez, 16-0-1 with 15 knockouts, meet in an immediate rematch of their February 28 split draw at the same arena. Martinez carries the higher knockout percentage while Cardenas has relied on his technical approach, and the first fight produced sharply divided scorecards.
Adrian Rodriguez vs. Elias Montoya Terraza, lightweights, 10 rounds. Two undefeated lightweights meet with at least one unbeaten record at stake. Rodriguez is 10-0 with 6 knockouts, while Terraza is 13-0 with 8 knockouts.
