LONDON – Matchroom Boxing is seeking to extend the contract of unified junior bantamweight titleholder Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
Rodriguez will put his WBC and WBO belts on the line November 22 when he takes on WBA belt holder Fernando Martinez in a three-belt unification. There are rumors that the coming bout will be the last on his current deal with Matchroom Boxing, leaving Rodriguez a free agent in the aftermath.
IBF junior welterweight titlist Richardson Hitchins found himself in a similar situation recently, announcing his stance as a free agent in his postfight interview after defeating George Kambosos Jnr back in June. There has since been no news on a deal for Hitchins, though Matchroom was successful recently in tying down one of its stars. Jaron “Boots”’ Ennis put pen to paper on a new long-term deal ahead of his first-round finish of Uisma Lima last week.
Matchroom will now aim to do the same with Rodriguez.
“Look, we're in discussions about extending – I think we've had a great relationship with ‘Bam’ Rodriguez,” Matchroom CEO Frank Smith told BoxingScene. “I think we've done great things together and will continue to do great things. I'm excited about what the future holds. He undoubtedly is pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world right now, so yeah, there's lots to talk about what's next for him.
“Someone like ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, everyone wants to promote ‘Bam’ Rodriguez. I think we're in a great place, especially in US boxing. When you look at the stars, you know, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis signed a new long-term extension with us. Undoubtedly, as we keep saying, he is going to be the pound-for-pound No. 1 in the sport in time to come. So people like him, people like ‘Bam,’ it's very important to keep him as part of the books.”
Tom Ivers is an amateur boxer who has a masters degree in sports journalism. He had his first bout in 2013, joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
