Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez Unifies World Title in TKO Victory
The undefeated two-division champion, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, added a second belt to his collection at 115 pounds, after defeating Phumelela Cafu by technical knockout in the tenth round, Saturday night in Frisco, Texas, in his unification fight for the super flyweight title.
Rodriguez, who held the WBC title, added Cafu’s WBO belt to his record. In the tenth round, Rodriguez hit Cafu with a furious combination, forcing the corner of the then undefeated Cafu to throw in the towel at 2 minutes and 7 seconds.
I felt it was a good performance. Probably my best performance to date, against my toughest opponent, my toughest fight yet. Cafu was much tougher than I thought he would be, but we got the job done no matter what. “Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez”
Rodriguez surpassed Cafu in total strikes with 218-144, achieving his third consecutive knockout victory. He acknowledged Cafu for taking the fight to the limit on Saturday night.Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez añadió un segundo cinturón de las 115 libras el sábado por la noche, arrebatándole el título de la OMB a Phumelela Cafu con una victoria por TKO en el décimo asalto. Foto de Melina Pizano/Getty ImagesRodriguez (22-0), who is ranked number 6 in the pound-for-pound rankings worldwide, made the second defense of his WBC title, which he won with an exciting knockout victory over Juan Francisco Estrada in June 2024. Rodriguez is in line to face Fernando Martinez for the WBA title.
Cafu (11-1-3), who fought in the United States for the first time, won the WBO belt in his last outing in October 2024, after defeating Kosei Tanaka in Japan.
