Unified junior bantamweight champion Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez will make the move up to bantamweight and face WBA champion Antonio Vargas on June 13 in Glendale, Arizona, Matchroom Boxing announced Friday.
Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) is ESPN's No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter and has been dominant between junior bantamweight and flyweight. He's stopped his last five opponents inside the distance, with Sunny Edwards, Juan Francisco Estrada, Pedro Guevara, Phumelele Cafu and Fernando Martinez all falling victim to Rodriguez. He'll now look to dominate a third weight class with his tenure as a bantamweight starting with WBA champion Vargas.
"New weight class, same goals - dominate and pick up all the belts," Rodriguez said in a statement. "On June 13, I look forward to becoming a three-division World Champion."
Matchroom Boxing also announced they have signed Rodriguez to a multifight extension.
Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) was recently elevated from interim champion to full champion after a fight with Seiya Tsutsumi was unable to come to fruition after the Japanese fighter was sidelined with an injury. He battled Daigo Higa to a draw last July but hasn't lost since a 2019 knockout loss to Jose Maria Cardenas.
"Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and that's exactly why I took this fight," Vargas said. "These are the moments champions live for. I respect his skill, his IQ, everything he brings to the ring. I look forward to defending my WBA World title and I'm ready to prove that I'm one of the best fighters in my weight class."
