Well, this is escalating quickly. After announcing David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde and Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes in quick succession, Turki Alalshikh revealed today that super flyweight titlists Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Fernando “Pumita” Martinez will also meet on Riyadh Season’s upcoming November show.
There’s a big asterisk there, of course: Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KO), who outgunned Juan Francisco Estrada for the WBC belt last year before clobbering Pedro Guevara in his inaugural defense, has a date with WBO champ Phumelela Cafu in two weeks. He’s the heavy favorite, and for very good reason, but “setup fight goes horribly wrong” has been a theme of late.
Assuming it all goes swimmingly and Martinez (18-0, 9 KO) sorts out his weight cut, this is the best fight the division has to offer. They’re unquestionably the two best at 115 pounds and make for an explosive clash of styles, Rodriguez’s dazzling footwork and combination punching clashing with Martinez’s all-out aggression.
You don’t want to miss this.
