Jesse Rodriguez defeats Antonio Vargas by knockout, winning the WBA bantamweight title and moving closer to a fight with Naoya Inoue in the process.

Following Inoue’s victory over Junto Nakatani last month, he was linked to a pound-for-pound fight with Rodriguez, who vacated his unified super flyweight crown ahead of the Vargas fight.

Rodriguez needed just six rounds to dethrone the bantamweight champion after his league debut, but admitted that he felt a real difference in the fresh division.

I’m talking about his YouTube channeltwo-division world champion Tim Bradley advised Rodriguez to spend some more time in the bantamweight division before moving up again in pursuit of a chance to capture Inoue’s undisputed super bantamweight title.

“Bam has tremendous skill, pound for pound, Inoue is on the list pound for pound, but is he ready now for the next fight? Hell no. I think Bam needs a few more touches.”

“I think Robert Garcia is a lot smarter than that [people realise]. Robert Garcia just answering questions is one thing, but the Robert Garcia I’m talking to is a very clever coach, and when it comes to how he moves players, he’s also a manager.

“He knows that Bam is not ready and he knows that his performance was also a little shaky because Robert Garcia has one thing: he is real and he was a former player, so he understands.”

Bradley previously predicted that Inoue would prove “too explosive” for the Texan, and after watching Rodriguez fight Vargas, he doubled down.

“I don’t think he’s ready to make that jump to 118 pounds yet against this particular champion who’s been knocked out before, that chin was there for the taking. I feel like even during the fight I felt like Bam’s strength didn’t translate like it did at 115 pounds.”

“If Bam had shown this fighting style to Inoue, it wouldn’t have lasted more than six rounds.”

The Inoue-Rodriguez fight is scheduled for January 2027, and next on Rodriguez’s radar is WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina.

A month ago, the biggest question surrounding Floyd Mayweather’s schedule was whether he could physically fit three major events into four months. Now there is a growing chance that all three events will never come true.

When World Boxing News analyzed Mayweather’s reported plans in May, the concern was timely.

Mike Tyson was already struggling with a hand injury, which postponed the proposed exhibition to the fall. Pacquiao was still waiting for an official announcement, even though Mayweather claimed the deal should be completed within days.

Meanwhile, the summer exhibition with Greek kickboxing star Mike Zambidis was quick approaching.

The schedule seemed ambitious, but has since become much more complicated.

First, Zambidis

The most immediate concern is the Mayweather v. Zambidis exhibition on June 27 in Athens.

The undefeated boxing legend is currently embroiled in multiple legal battles, including a lawsuit filed by CSI Entertainment over Tyson and Pacquiao’s proposed events and a separate $175 million lawsuit Mayweather filed against former associates.

Mayweather also publicly responded to the theft allegations in Nevada, dismissing the headlines as “free promotion.”

None of these issues stopped the event in Athens.

However, if any legal changes affect Mayweather’s ability to travel abroad, the Zambidis exhibition will become the first casualty.

With only a few days left until the fight, he’s at the front of the line.

Pacquiao is still waiting

The proposed rematch with Pacquiao raised eyebrows even before the latest headlines appeared.

Mayweather stated in May that the fight should be finalized within days after plans for the Sphere in Las Vegas collapsed.

Weeks later, there is still no official date, location, press tour or promotional event.

The longer this goes on, the harder it is to imagine a fight of this magnitude taking place in the original time frame.

Vital events don’t usually happen overnight. At this point, Pacquiao remains a talking point rather than a confirmed fight.

Tyson’s problem

Then there’s Tyson. The former heavyweight champion suffered a hand injury, which delayed plans and pushed the exhibition to the fall.

Even before this defeat, Mayweather never seemed fully committed to promoting the event.

Reports continued to surface linking the pair to Africa and various dates, but Mayweather rarely spoke about the fight publicly.

Tyson’s injury created one obstacle, while the CSI lawsuit created another.

All in all, Tyson’s exhibition currently looks like the least certain of the three events.

A month ago, the challenge was to put Zambidis, Pacquiao and Tyson in the same four-month window.

The calendar remains full.

Whether all three events survive long enough to get to them becomes a completely different question.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Formerly a bogeyman in the super middleweight division, David Benavidez has become a wanted man since announcing he was fighting at cruiserweight.

After winning the 168- and 175-pound belts, Benavidez made an ambitious jump to the cruiserweight division last month, where he had one of the performances of the year and sent unified WBA and WBO world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in six rounds.

Now it appears that Benavidez will remain at cruiserweight rather than return to the lightweight heavyweight scene, at least for his next fight.

Despite calls for the 29-year-old to fight Jai Opetaia, the 29-year-old appears to be prioritizing his charge towards the undisputed throne, with a clash with WBC world champion Noel Mikaelian close to finalization. If he wins there, there are more fights in the division, including Opetaia, which is worth mentioning.

After seeing Benavidez make his cruiserweight debut, former WBO world champion Chris Billam-Smith – who lost the belt to Ramirez in 2024 – added his name to the mix, saying: Inside the Ring that the “Mexican Monster” segment may turn out to be a “firefight.”

“Obviously you always wonder how you’re going to beat these kinds of guys, I said before [Zurdo] fight, I said, “if he wins, me against him will be a close fight and very fan-friendly.”

“He’s a fantastic player, obviously he went through the weights and put on a great performance there.”

With Benavidez-Mikaelian appearing to be next, Opetaia will likely be looking to defend his Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title internally – with Billam-Smith being the standout candidate for the away corner.

With that in mind, “The Gentleman” said he sees the fight with Benavidez as a tougher test than the fight with his promotional stablemate.

“Benavidez would be harder to beat [than Opetaia]for me stylistically.”

The Benavidez-Mikaelian fight is reportedly scheduled for November, with Viddal Riley scheduled to headline Misfits Pro in August before next fighting for the remaining vacant IBF cruiserweight title.