Chris Oliver previews Saturday night's boxing action, with the world-class Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez back in the ring live on DAZN.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday June 13
2pts Jesse Rodriguez to win in rounds 7-12 at 11/5 (Ladbrokes)
Saturday night’s boxing coverage on DAZN ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous.
First up in Manchester is Tommy Fury versus former World Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, supported by the usual set of bizarre contests we have come to expect from these Misfits-promoted cards.
Like most hardcore fans, these shows aren’t for me but, thankfully, we have some proper action from the US later in the night and it features one of the best fighters in the world.
The unbeaten Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez steps up to bantamweight in a bid to become a three-weight world champion when he takes on WBA ruler Antonio Vargas in Glendale, Arizona.
Rodriguez is a best price of 1/20 to extend his perfect 23-fight record (16 KOs) with another victory but don’t let those lopsided odds put you off tuning into this one, as we’re witnessing greatness in the shape of the Texas native.
After bursting on to the scene with two brilliant wins over lower-weight legends Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the space of four months in 2022, Rodriguez has gone on to clean out all the opposition at flyweight and super flyweight - making a habit of making very good fighters look very ordinary.
What he has achieved at just 26 years of age is quite remarkable and he now goes on the hunt for more glory at 118lbs, with a genuine super fight with Japanese star Naoya Inoue possibly in the works for later in the year.
So, Rodriguez can’t afford to look past this weekend’s assignment if he wants to secure that mega bout but, from what we have seen from him so far, there is little chance of him overlooking Vargas.
The latter, who can be backed at 12/1, boasts a record of 19-1-1 (11 KOs) and has been upgraded to WBA bantamweight champion as Seiya Tsutsumi returns to champion-in-recess status.
Vargas won the interim belt with an impressive 10th-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Winston Guerrero, before drawing with Daigo Higa in Japan when last seen 11 months ago.
Also originally from Texas, Vargas likes to be on the front foot and throws plenty of leather. He is likely to attempt to impose his larger frame on the favourite, who may not be as strong as he moves up in weight.
However, while Vargas is a good fighter, Rodriguez is a special one and the difference in overall skill set should be evident here.
An aggressive southpaw with a relentless approach, Rodriguez sets up his attacks with a wonderful jab and has speed in abundance. Utilising his superb footwork and regular attacks to the body, this pocket dynamo has a varied arsenal of weapons in his armoury and puts his shots together with real venom.
His head movement means he is also hard to hit cleanly, and he arrives on the back of a brilliant all-round performance in November, when dominating and stopping the previously undefeated Fernando Martinez in the 10th round of their super flyweight unification contest.
With Rodriguez expected to show why he is considered to be in the top five on the pound-for-pound list, he is just 1/4 to win by stoppage (9/2 to land a decision victory) and it would be disappointing if he didn’t get rid of his man before the final bell.
However, it is just 11/10 that he does so inside the opening six rounds and while their styles should gel for an all-action affair, there are reasons to believe that Rodriguez in rounds 7-12 may be better value at 11/5.
The favourite is the one stepping up in weight and while it is only 3lbs extra, that can be a lot at these lower weights and we’re not sure how well Rodriguez’s power will carry up to bantamweight.
Also, five of his last six stoppage victories have come in the second half of the fight as he tends to break people down with volume and accumulation, rather than carrying one-punch power.
So, with those factors in mind, it may take Rodriguez longer to get to Vargas than the odds would suggest, and he is fancied to end this one somewhere after the halfway mark.
Posted at 14:35 BST on 11/06/26
Boxing: Related content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
