Boxing

Bam Rodriguez barely tested in KO win over Martinez

Published

8 months ago

November 24, 2025

Image: Boxing Results: Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez Defeats ‘Puma’ Martinez in 10th-Round KO Masterclass

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn claims that WBC and WBO super flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KO) never had to get out of first gear in his unification fight against WBA champion Fernando “Puma” Martinez (18-1, 9 KO).

“He didn’t get out of first gear, and these are two of the best fighters in the division,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. Secondary losses athe fight of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez knocking out Fernando Martinez in the 10th round last Saturday night. Bam had to fight tough because he was getting essential shots from Martinez and couldn’t afford to leave him there.

Hearn: Bam never went into second gear

Bam shot, made better shots

It wasn’t an basic fight for “Bam” Rodriguez. He took tough shots from Martinez in every round until the end of the competition in round 10.

“Puma’ Martinez, the world champion, never been beaten, ranked No. 1 by Ring Magazine. It looked like sparring,” Hearn said of Rodriguez’s win over Puma. “And then it’s like a knockout. The knockout was special. He missed five or six shots. Slip counter with his left hand.”

Although “Puma” has never been defeated before, it barely managed to win in the rematch Kazuto Ioka, defeating him via narrow 12-round unanimous decision on May 11, 2025 in Tokyo. This fight showed that the 34-year-old Martinez had lost something in his game after his previous fight against Ioka on July 7, 2024.

“It was a great fight. He’s 25 years vintage. Every fight he’s climbing higher and higher on the pound-for-pound rankings. There was some pushing and shoving, some fighting,” Hearn said when asked about Bam Rodriguez standing over Martinez after knocking him out. “I thought it was sweet.”

Martinez looked exhausted

The fight was not even from the very beginning. Fernando Martinez, 34, looked tired after the first round and was off balance after throwing wild punches. He was exhausted, he expected too soon that he would have a chance to win.

“Bam” still took a lot of hits in the fight with huge shots. In some ways it was more hard than his previous fight Phumelela Cafu last summer, July 19, 2025. The fight lasted 10 rounds before Rodriguez knocked him out.

“One more belt to go and then we’ll be undisputed at 115. Then we’ll go to 118 and at the end of 2026, fight fans will get something very, very special,” Hearn said.

Inoue Superfight on the horizon

A fight against Naoya Inoue would be perfect for “Bam” Rodriguez in 2026. But for that to happen, he would have to move up to 122 pounds, because that’s where Inoue fights. He has no intention of dropping down to bantamweight to fight Rodriguez. He’s a bigger name and won’t want to do 25-year-old Bam any favors.

Nation Vegas has been writing about fighting games since 2012 and is currently a featured writer Boxing News 24. Over the years, it has built a reputation for extensive coverage of both major events and emerging prospects, delivering news, fight reports and features that connect with fans around the world.

With over a decade of experience, Nation combines insightful analysis with an accessible style, making his work a trusted source for readers who want to follow sports from every angle. His consistency and passion for boxing have made him a respected voice on the site.

Last update: 24/11/2025

Boxing

Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshuas Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns

Published

1 day ago

July 25, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshua's Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns"

Oleksandr Usyk has shared his reaction to Anthony Joshua‘s dramatic knockout victory against Kristian Prenga.

Usyk nearly suffered his own shock defeat in May when he was pushed to the limit by kickboxing star Rico Verhoevenand two months on it was nrw teammate Joshua’s turn to come close to a massive upset loss that would have stunned the heavyweight division.

The Brit was dropped twice by massive underdog Prenga in the opening round of their clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but ‘AJ’ managed to recover and record a big knockdown of his own in the second round that resulted in the stoppage victory.

Joshua and Usyk now train together, having famously had two battles for the unified world heavyweight title in 2021 and 2022, and the Ukrainian has had his say on his stablemate’s victory over Prenga.

Speaking to TalkSporttwo-time undisputed champion Usyk praised Joshua, insisting ‘AJ is back’ before predicting that Joshua will now claim a knockout win over long-term rival Tyson Fury in his next bout.

“Anthony Joshua is next undisputed champion. First round it’s a test but AJ is back.

It’s boxing, [the] big upper cut is good, it’s a knockdown. AJ [come] back and win.

“Greedy Belly [Fury] will speak now and say weak chin, Greedy Belly get out. AJ wins [against Fury], [he will] knock him out.”

Fury was victorious on Friday as he earned a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, paving the way for the showdown against Joshua later this year.

Boxing

Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshuas Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns

Published

1 day ago

July 25, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshua's Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns"

Jake Paul was the last man to fight Anthony Joshua and he has now revealed his verdict on AJ’s chaotic victory over Kristian Prenga.

Joshua went up against Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin a clash that was expected to be a comfortable win for the former world heavyweight champion in order to set up the long overdue battle against Tyson Fury.

Any hopes of seeing that clash were nearly ended after AJ was dropped twice in the opening round of the bout, though he was able to recover and claim the second round knockout to come out on top and prevent a stunning shock upset from taking place.

Saturday’s outing saw Joshua back in the ring for the first time since his sixth round triumph over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul back in Decemberand now ‘The Problem Child’ himself has shared his reaction to his former rival’s victory over Prenga.

Posting on social mediaPaul praised AJ for earning the win, after returning to action following the tragic car crash he was involved in at the end of last year which took the lives of his two close friends.

“Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through. Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.”

Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through.

Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 25, 2026

The win for Joshua should now tee up for meeting with Fury later this year, after ‘The Gypsy King’ held up his end of the bargain by also securing a win in his warm-up bout on Friday, securing a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach.

Boxing

Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshuas Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

Published

1 day ago

July 25, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshua's Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

Anthony Joshua may have earned a knockout win over Kristian Prenga but the fight certainly didn’t unfold as most people expected.

Joshua was facing the Albanian in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, and it looked like a massive upset could be on the cards when he was dropped twice in the opening round.

‘AJ’ was able to recover and went on to secure a second round knockout victory to prevent the shock lossseemingly paving the way for the battle against Tyson Fury later this year.

One man who was ringside to witness the battle was former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellewand he praised Joshua’s ability to turn things around in the fight after describing it as ‘chaos’.

“We predicted round two but I don’t think we foresaw that. That was chaos. He doesn’t see the uppercut coming and finds himself on the floor without knowing how he got there.

“The second one he did see it coming and he was able to clench down on the jaw. He got up and then the experience that he has he used tonight because he tied him up. Against Andy Ruiz he didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t know how to do that, but tonight he did.

“He showed once again there is no quit. To be that hurt in the first round and get up, that’s the recoveries of power. People talk about your chin, but it’s not, it’s the level of fitness that gets you up from the floor.

“When Joshua gets a fighter hurt he’s the best finisher in the division. Whenever he hurts someone they’re gone. I haven’t seen him drop anybody and they survive, only Andy Ruiz. He’s a ruthless finisher.”

The clash between Joshua and Fury is now expected to be announced soon for later this year, after Fury won his own interim fight on Friday by defeating Mariusz Wach.