Boxing

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez-Phumelele Cafu Unification Bout Official, Diego Pacheco-Trevor McCumby On Same Card

Jesse Rodriguez and Phumelele Cafu will put their belts on the line in a unification fight this summer.
Johan Alyas Blanco|
Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (left) with trainer Robert Garcia (right).
Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (left) with trainer Robert Garcia (right). | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The lower weight divisions continues to heat up.

The momentum will pickup when WBC and Ring Magazine junior bantamweight champion Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez takes on the undefeated WBO champion Phumelele Cafu on July 19th at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.

Matchroom Boxing announced several events today, including the unification bout at 115 lbs. This fight is between not only two of the best boxers in the division, but also undefeated champions. According to the Ring Magazine Rankings, Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KOs) is ranked No. 4 in the junior bantamweight rankings.

Cafu is coming off his upset victory against Japan's Kosei Tanaka on Oct. 14th, 2024 to win the WBO title. The 26-year-old traveled into enemy territory to edge out a split decision. This will be Cafu's first fight in 2025, nine months after his last bout.

"Bam" is set to make the second defense of his WBC and Ring Magazine titles, he last stopped Pedro Guevara in the third round on Nov. 9th, 2024. The 25-year-old southpaw is one of the top boxers in the world today, ranked No. 6 on The Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound rankings.

The winner of this bout could set themselves up for an undisputed title fight against IBF and WBA champion Fernando Martinez . Martinez (17-0, 9 KOs) first has to get past his rematch against Kazuto Ioka on May 11th in Tokyo. Martinez won the WBA belt from Ioka in the first bout on July 7th, 2024, winning by unanimous decision.

The Rodriguez vs Cafu fight card will also feature a super-middleweight bout between undefeated top contender Diego Pacheco against Trevor McCumby.

Currently ranked No. 2 in the Ring Magazine's rankings at 168 lbs, Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) has his eyes set on a bout against unified WBC, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. A win against McCumby (28-1,1 NC, 21 KOs) could bring him closer to that lucrative bout. McCumby is looking to get back into the win column after suffering his first career loss to Caleb Plant on Sept. 14th, 2024.

Rodriguez vs. Cafu will happen on July 19th at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. The fight card will be streamed on DAZN.

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Johan Alyas Blanco
JOHAN ALYAS BLANCO

Johan Alyas Blanco is a writer for KO On SI. Before joining in March 2025, he worked as a News Producer in Tallahassee and Orlando. He also works for several fight promotions in boxing and MMA, working on social media content. When he’s not writing, Alyas covers boxing on his own YouTube channel, The Split Decision. Blanco has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from UCF, with a minor in sports business management. Alyas has interviewed several big names in combat sports, including Jorge Masvidal, Edgar Berlanga and Brian Norman Jr. His goal is to bring boxing back to prominence.

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