Jesse ‘BAM’ Rodriguez vs. Phumelela Cafu | DAZN - July 19, 2025

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Jesse ‘BAM’ Rodriguez-Phumelela Cafu to Headline DAZN Show July 19 in Frisco, Texas

One of the best boxers in the world will attempt to add another title to his collection July 19.

The Ring has learned Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez will face Phumelela Cafu in a junior bantamweight championship unification fight that night at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. San Antoino’s Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) will defend his Ring and WBC 115-pound championships against South Africa’s Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KOs), who owns the WBO belt.

DAZN will stream the card headlined by Rodriguez, ranked No. 6 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, and Cafu from the Dallas Cowboys’ 12,000-seat practice facility. Cafu is The Ring’s fourth-ranked contender for Rodriguez’s crown.

The 26-year-old Cafu won his WBO belt by upsetting Japan’s Kosei Tanaka by split decision in Cafu’s last fight October 14 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Tanaka (20-2, 11 KOs), who slipped to the fifth spot in The Ring’s junior bantamweight ratings, was consistently listed as an 11-1 favorite to defeat Cafu.

The left-handed Rodriguez, 25, most recently pummeled Pedro Guevara into submission November 9 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Rodriguez dropped Guevara (42-5-1, 22 KOs) twice in the third round, the same round when referee Ricky Gonzalez stopped their scheduled 12-rounder on the Jaron Ennis-Karen Chukhadzhian undercard.

Rodriguez hoped to battle IBF/WBA champ Fernando Martinez next in a different title unification fight that would’ve afforded Rodriguez the opportunity to add two more crowns.

Argentina’s Martinez (17-0, 9 KOs) instead accepted a rematch with Japan’s Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16 KOs), which is scheduled for May 11 at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. Martinez won the WBA 115-pound crown from Ioka by winning a unanimous decision July 7 at Kokugikan National Sumo Arena in Tokyo.

Martinez is The Ring’s No. 1-ranked contender for Rodriguez’s title.

DAZN’s co-feature July 19 is a super middleweight match between Los Angeles’ Diego Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) and Trevor McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs, 1 NC), of Glendale, Arizona.

Pacheco is The Ring’s No. 2 contender in the 168-pound division. McCumby is not ranked among The Ring’s top 10 at super middleweight.

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‘Bam’ Rodriguez-Phumelela Cafu unification; Diego Pacheco-Trevor McCumby set for July 19

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez was determined to further unify the junior bantamweight division for his next outing.

Patience and perseverance paid off for the two-division champ. BS has confirmed that San Antonio’s Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs) will next face South Africa’s Phumelela Cafu, 11-0-3 (8 KOs) atop a July 19 DAZN show from The Star’s Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

“The 19th of July is now confirmed for South Africa’s WBO World [115lbs] champion Phumelela “The Truth” Cafu,” Colin Nathan, Cafu’s trainer and manager, told BS in a provided quote. “[He] gets to fight, in what can only be describe as a true “Super Fight,” against WBC Champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a unification match.”

Rodriguez is the recognized lineal, RING and WBC champion. Cafu holds the WBO belt.

News of the matchup was first reported by Fight Freaks Unite. Ring Magazine was first to confirm that the co-feature will pit Diego Pacheco, 23-0 (18 KOs) and Trevor McCumby, 28-1 (21 KOs) in a super middleweight matchup.

Rodriguez has spent most of 2025 on the hunt for a fellow divisional titlist. Matchroom Boxing – who co-promotes Rodriguez along with Mr. Honda’s Teiken Promotions – previously reached out to WBA titlist Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez, 17-0 (9 KOs) for a bout that was targeted for May or June.

Any hope for the matchup fell apart when Martinez returned to previous plans to face Kazuto Ioka in a rematch to their terrific July 7 bout, won by the unbeaten Argentine via decision. Martinez and Ioka will meet again on May 11 in Tokyo. It prompted Matchroom to turn to Cafu, with the deal coming together relatively quickly.

“I’m excited to finally step back into the ring,” said Rodriguez in quotes provided by Matchroom confirming the event. “I cannot wait to fight in front of my home state fans. I’m looking forward to unifying in another weight division.

“I know Cafu is a tough opponent, but these kinds of fights bring out the best in me and I’ll be ready for whatever he brings. July 19th tune in and witness greatness.”

Cafu won the WBO junior bantamweight title in an upset, split decision over Kosei Tanaka last October 14 in Tokyo.

The targeted challenger for his first defense was originally former four-division champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, 52-4 (42 KOs). The bout fell apart just as the two sides appeared to reach terms, with Gonzalez opting to instead revisit the matter later this fall.

The contingency plan was for Cafu to enjoy a hometown headliner in late May. Those plans were on course, until an offer was received to instead face Rodriguez for top honors at the weight.

“This is awesome, man, because once again I get to step in with an elite fighter and prove the world wrong, showing people that I’m also an elite fighter,” said Cafu. “I’ve always wanted to fight him because people think he is the bogeyman of the division and say he is unbeatable, but I’ll prove to the people that no one is unbeatable.

"Beating him will put me on the pound-for-pound list, and I will be King of the division.”

Rodriguez previously held the WBC junior bantamweight title in 2022 and made two successful defenses before he vacated to drop back down to flyweight. He endured a broken jaw en route to a WBO title win, but his signature win at the weight was a ninth-round stoppage of Sunny Edwards in their December 2023 IBF/WBO unification bout between unbeaten titlists.

A career-best win at the time, Rodriguez trumped it one fight later in his return to junior bantamweight. The unbeaten 24-year-old (at the time) climbed off the deck to dethrone lineal, RING and WBC champ Juan Francisco Estrada via seventh-round knockout last June 29 in Phoenix, Arizona.

In his most recent start, Rodriguez made easy work of Mexico’s Pedro Guevara, whom he stopped in the third round last November 9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Guevara held the interim WBC title, which allowed Rodriguez to satisfy his mandatory and focus on a big, meaningful fight for his first ring appearance this year.

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[margaret thatcher]

face tat eh

[giacomino]

face tat eh

Hopefully ICE doesn’t deport him to the El Salvadorian prison before the fight

[chucktaylor]

Cafu will need an upset of the year, maybe of several years. He was quick and powerful early against Tanaka, but barely made it to the finish line (great fight btw, I hope for a rematch). Bam brings another level of pressure.

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Phumelele Cafu blocking out negativity ahead of 'Bam' Rodriguez

Unbeaten South African Phumelele Cafu knows that, despite his WBO junior bantamweight title, he will be the underdog when he fights Jesse Rodriguez in Frisco, Texas, in July.

Cafu won the title in October 2024 with an upset win over Kosei Tanaka in Japan, and he will again be on the road when he takes on Rodriguez, who holds the WBC title.

Their unification clash, at Ford Center at The Star on July 19, pits the 11-0-3 (8 KOs) Cafu against the 21-0 (14 KOs) Rodriguez.

“Bam” is one of the best fighters in the world, and therefore expected to add Cafu’s belt to his own title.

“Yeah, the pressure is not on me,” Cafu told BS. “The only person putting pressure on myself is me, because I want to be great.

“So, I’m putting pressure on myself. I’ve got to go out there and perform. I’m not going there just to be there. I’m going there to win. So I’m putting pressure on myself. Like I said, it doesn’t matter to me. I was always being written off. I fought Jackson Chawuka [who was 20-1-1] once when I had six fights, and everyone was writing me off. They never thought I’d beat Jackson. They thought Jackson would destroy me. Guess what? I came there and we fought and that fight ended up being the Fight of the Year.”

Cafu drew with Chawuka over 10 rounds when they first fought, in 2022, and he won a split decision against him when they boxed a rematch later in the year.

“Then, as I was going to Japan, people thought also with Tanaka, I’m just going there to lose,” Cafu said. “They said I’m not ready for those fights. I should have took two more fights, one or two fights.

“And guess what? I went in there and became a world champion. And also now, I think people are going to understand. They also said that I’m not ready for Bam – blah, blah, blah, blah.

“And guess what? I'll go there and become a unified champion. So, I’m ready for anything. It doesn't matter what the people think about me.”

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’BAM' RODRIGUEZ WARNS PHUMELELE CAFU HE'S DIFFERENT THAN KOSEI TANAKA

Jesse Rodriguez still makes the junior bantamweight limit of 115 pounds fairly comfortably.

If the unbeaten champion commonly known as "Bam" has his way, he will fully unify all the titles in his division before he moves up to bantamweight. After the powerful southpaw demolished an overmatched opponent to stay busy six months ago, Rodriguez will start that process July 19 in Frisco, Texas.

Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) will defend his Ring and WBC belts against hard-hitting South African Phumelele Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KOs), whose WBO junior bantamweight crown will be at stake. DAZN will stream their 12-round unification fight as a main event from the Dallas Cowboys' training facility, Ford Center at The Star.

Cafu changed his life when he upset Japan's Kosei Tanaka (20-2, 11 KOs) by split decision and won the title from him Oct. 14 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Rodriguez discussed the Cafu fight following a promotional event Tuesday in Frisco.

"I know he's coming off that victory very motivated,” Rodriguez told The Ring. "He wants to do the same here in Texas. I’m a different fighter from Tanaka, so he’s not gonna be able to do the same against me."

Cafu's counter right knocked Tanaka to the canvas in the fifth round, which emerged as the one-point difference on the cards of two judges. Phil Austin and Waleska Roldan scored Cafu a 114-113 winner, whereas Jesse Reyes credited Tanaka with winning 114-113.

Rodriguez, 25, wasn't at aware of Cafu before the 26-year-old southpaw shocked Tanaka.

"The only clip I did see of him was when he knocked Tanaka down," he said.

Rodriguez nevertheless is preparing for Cafu as if he were about to fight Juan Francisco Estrada again or Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, the No. 1 contender for his WBC belt.

"I'm gonna be a hundred percent ready for this fight," Rodriguez said. "These are the kinds of fights that motivate me to my full potential and make me train 10 times harder than my past fights."

DraftKings considers Rodriguez a 25-1 favorite to defeat Cafu, The Ring's No. 4 contender for his title.

If Rodriguez adds the WBO belt to his collection, he hopes promoter Eddie Hearn can secure a fight for him with WBA champ Fernando Martinez. Argentina's Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) retained his title May 11, when he got up from a 10th-round knockdown, maintaining his lead to beat Japan's Kazuto Ioka (31-4-1, 16 KOs) by unanimous decision in their rematch at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

"Here at 115, I feel like I’m one or two fights away from becoming undisputed," Rodriguez said. "Just to have all the belts at one time would mean a lot to me."

Martinez, 33, once owned the IBF 115-pound championship as well. He vacated that title when choosing to fight Ioka again rather than making a mandated defense against Mexico's Willibaldo Garcia (23-5-2, 13 KOs).

"We need to see how this fight plays out," Rodriguez said, "and then how the other fighters and belts play out as well. So, it’s just a matter of timing and going from there."

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'AMMO' WILLIAMS VS ETINOSA OLIHA OFFICIAL FOR JULY 19 ON 'BAM' RODRIGUEZ-CAFU UNDERCARD

Austin “Ammo” Williams once again finds himself on the cusp of landing his first world title shot.

Williams returns to Texas when he faces undefeated contender Etinosa Oliha in a final eliminator for the IBF middleweight title on July 19 on the undercard of the unification bout between Ring and WBC super flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and WBO champion Phumelele Cafu at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, outside of Dallas, on DAZN.

Williams was one fight away from earning a title shot before losing by 11th-round stoppage to Hamzah Sheeraz on June 1, 2024, in a WBC middleweight title eliminator. One year later, Williams (18-1, 12 KOs) feels like the time is right for him to make the most of this opportunity and earn his first world title shot vs IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.

“This time around, everything is aligned," Williams said via press release. "I have proven to myself that I am a true champion, before I have the world championship belt around my waist. July 19, we are bringing it back to my roots, Texas, where it all began. Relentless, unwavering, educated pressure will be exerted on my opponent until I completely break him, sending him back to Italy a changed man. This fight will not go the distance.”

The undercard also features the undefeated Diego Pacheco defending his USWBC and WBO International super middleweight belts vs. Trevor McCumby. Olympic bronze medalist Omari Jones also will return for his third pro bout when he faces Alfredo Blanco scheduled for six rounds.

Oliha of Italy will be in his first fight in the U.S. after his first 16 fights took place in his home country and his last five in Germany. Oliha, 26, is coming off a third-round stoppage of Alexander Pavlov on Sept. 14.

“I'm very motivated and looking forward to July 19,” Oliha said. “Austin Williams is the last step before a world title shot. I am very confident that I will take this chance.”

Arturo Cardenas vs Dominique "Dimes" Crowder also will fight on the undercard in a 10-round bout for WBC Continental Americas and WBA Continental North Americas titles in a matchup pitting undefeated fighters on the rise.

Cardenas (16-0-1, 9 KOs), 24, held the WBC Continental Americas title at junior featherweight before dropping down one weight class.

Crowder (18-0, 11 KOs), 31, is a two-time Golden Gloves champion in New York and is coming off a first-round knockout of Duke Micah. Cardenas stopped Edgar Joe Cortes in the eighth round in his last fight on the undercard of Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs Eimantas Stanionis.

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Can Cafu cause an upset?

Bam has a fight already scheduled for November Ring IV card.

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Fight Week!!

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Austin Williams in search of new opponent on Rodriguez-Cafu DAZN show; Etinosa Oliha (eye) out

Austin “Ammo” Williams will enter fight week on the hunt for a new opponent.

Boxing Scene has learned that Etinosa Oliha is no longer able to move forward with an IBF-ordered middleweight title eliminator with Williams. An issue with Oliha's eye examination during the pre-fight medical process forced his removal from Saturday’s DAZN show from The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.

Two sources involved with the card have informed BS that a new opponent is being sought for Williams, 18-1 (12 KOs). One candidate for the assignment is The Bronx’s Ismael Villarreal, 15-3 (11 KOs), though nothing was finalized as this goes to publication.

Boxing Scene has additionally learned that Oliha has already taken steps for the discovered injury to heal and is expected to be cleared to box within the next two or so weeks.

Italy’s Oliha, 21-0 (9 KOs) is the current number-one rated IBF middleweight contender. The 27-year-old was due to make his U.S. debut with the fight, as well as his first career fight outside of Europe.

Matchroom Boxing outbid AGON Sports & Events for the promotional rights to the fight. It is not immediately clear when the bout will be rescheduled. The winner would have become the mandatory challenger to Janibek Alimkhanuly, 16-0 (11 KOs), who is free to take a voluntary defense but not currently scheduled for any fight.

For now, it will be Williams who gets to move forward with his career.

The 28-year-old Milwaukee-bred, Houston-based contender has won two in a row since an 11th-round stoppage defeat to Hamzah Sheeraz, 22-0-1 (18 KOs) last June in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In his most recent contest, Williams outpointed Patrice Volny atop aMarch 15 DAZN show from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Olhia’s medical scratch continues a run of bad luck this year, He was due to face Kyrone Davis, 19-3-1 (6 KOs) earlier this year in a previously ordered IBF title eliminator.

The two sides previously reached an agreement for a fight to have taken place in the spring in Italy. Davis fights under the banner of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), whose handlers sought to have the fight relocated to the United States, which proved enough for the IBF to no longer consider Davis as eligible for the fight.

That development, in turn, opened the door for Williams. The fight with Oliha was ordered just days after win over Volny.

Oliha moved into contention after a third-round knockout of Alexander Pavlov in September 2024 at AGON Sportspark in Charlottenburg, Germany. That was the fifth consecutive fight in Germany for Oliha, given AGON’s home base. However, the plan was to return to Italy for the final elimination bout had the Davis fight moved forward.

Instead, his first road trip ends – for now – without anything to show for it.

The balance of the show remains intact, including the headliner between lineal and WBC 115lbs champ Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs) and WBO titleholder Phumulele Cafu, 11-0-3 (8 KOs). In addition to the high-stakes unification bout, a win by Rodriguez will lead to an already announced showdown with WBA 115lbs titlist Fernando Martinez on May 22 in Riyadh.

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Fight Night!!

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Date: Saturday July 19, 2025
Location: Ford Center - Frisco, TX
TV/Stream: DAZN

Start Times
Youtube: 5 pm ET | 2 pm PT | 10 pm BST (Preliminary Card)
DAZN: 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT | 12 am BST (Main Card)

Promoted by: Matchroom Boxing

Main Card

Unified WBC & WBO Super Flyweight Championship
Jesse Rodriguez vs. Phumelele Cafu

12 Round Middleweight Bout
Austin Williams vs. Etinosa Oliha

12 Round Super Middleweight Bout
Diego Pacheco vs. Trevor McCumby

Vacant WBC & WBA Continental Americas Bantamweight Championship
Arturo Popoca vs. Dominique Crowder

Preliminary Card

6 Round Super Welterweight Bout
Omari Jones vs. Alfredo Blanco

6 Round Super Welterweight Bout
Pablo Valdez vs. Robert Redmond Jr.

6 Round Super Welterweight Bout
Nishant Dev vs. LaQuan Evans

4 Round Super Welterweight Bout
Hector Beltran vs. Edgar Gutierrez

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Omari Jones looking class again, that first knockdown

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Main event next.

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Omari Jones looking class again, that first knockdown

Was a nasty KO

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In the opener on DAZN, Omari Jones (3-0, 3 KOs), a 2024 United States Olympian, made easy work of the most experienced opponent of his career by blasting Alfredo Rodolfo Blanco (24-15, 11 KOs) in three rounds. The junior middleweight prospect Jones outlanded Blanco 67-3, according to CompuBox, scored a second-round knockdown with a crushing left hook and ended the fight with a body shot.

In the preliminary portion of the card on Matchroom’s YouTube channel, junior middleweight Hector Beltran (3-0, 3 KOs) remained unbeaten and scored a third-round stoppage win against Edgar Gutierrez (3-4, 2 KOs).

Junior middleweight prospect Nishant Dev (3-0, 2 KOs), a 2024 Indian Olympian, notched a six-round TKO win against LaQuan Evans (5-6, 2 KOs).
Pablo Valdez (10-0, 9 KOs) knocked out Robert Redmond Jr. (8-3-2, 6 KOs) in three rounds.

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Main event time.

[handsofstone]

Rodriguez class again but never really enjoyed the fight because it was too repetitive, Cafu spent the whole fight in the corner, trying to play counter puncher, he done an ok job of evading a lot of Rodriguez's work but he wasnt busy enough and the rounds just kept passing him by , Rodriguez pressured all night, touching him to the body trying to create the openings, he was comfortably winning the fight although he struggled to find the breakthrough until the 10th when a right hook rocked Cafu who staggered about before they both fell to the canvas, Cafu's corner waved the towel which surprised me, no doubt he was hurt but still surprising, the ref was flapping about as well going to stop it then jumping out the way, didn't know what he was doing, fair play to Bam though, another title

[Perkin Warbeck]

Yesterday, we boxing fans had the privilege of seeing two bona fide ATG boxers defeat prime titleholding opponents: Usyk and Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is one of the best, combining ring IQ, aggression, power, speed, and excellent footwork. He should be in the top 5 P4P, possibly higher.