After previously training Nonito Donaire, Robert Garcia wondered how his current protégé, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, would fare against the minor league legend.

Donaire became a multi-division world champion under Garcia’s tutelage, having previously remained undefeated at the highest level lost to Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013.

The Filipino then had a few featherweight fights before dropping back down to 118 pounds in 2019 to face Naoya Inoue.

Their invigorating encounter ultimately resulted in Inoue winning by unanimous decision, while the 2022 rematch ended with Donaire losing in the second round.

Still fighting at 43, “The Filipino Flash” is considered one of the all-time bantamweight greatest, and “Bam” Rodriguez hopes to become a three-division world champion in his next fight.

The 26-year-old will face Antonio Vargas, the WBA champion, on June 13, after the unification of the super flyweight division after successive breaks in the fights against Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez.

A win could then put him in an undisputed super bantamweight clash with Inoue, who, like “Bam,” is widely considered a top pound-for-pound star.

As for a prime-to-prime matchup with Donaire, tops Coach Garcia told The Spit Bucket Podcast thisalthough Rodriguez still has time to prove him wrong, he would have to favor his former fighter.

“Bam loves Nonito – his favorite Nonito fighter – and Bam may not like it, but I think I would choose Nonito.

“Bam has at least three to four years left in his career. There is still so much to show, that he will do, that he will achieve.

“Nonita, thanks to me, we have achieved a lot.”

Garcia recalls Donaire’s second-round finish over Fernando Montiel in 2011 as a particularly memorable moment, while expecting “Bam” to find similar success in his career.

David Benavidez’s move up to heavyweight no longer sounds like a fantasy after trainer Robert Garcia openly predicted victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder while discussing Benavidez’s future following his dominant win over Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

Robert said Benavidez already has the style and hand speed to cause trouble for boxing’s biggest names if he ultimately decides to move up.

“I think Benavidez beats all three,” Garcia told Fino Boxing as Fury, Joshua and Wilder were raised as potential future opponents. “They are ponderous compared to Benavidez. They won’t even have a chance to throw a punch. Before Ben hits them 20 times.”

Garcia admitted that Fury would still have the hardest task due to his size, but he still supported Benavidez, who was going to break him with a powerful punch.

“I think the hardest one would have to be Fury because the weight is hefty. It’s challenging,” Garcia said. “But even then, if he has his hand on Benavidez, Benavidez will throw those 20-punch combinations to the body and that’s it. That’s it.”

Robert’s comments came after Benavidez stopped Ramirez in a performance that sparked debate about how far the undefeated star can go after already winning the super middleweight and cruiserweight titles. Garcia said he still wants Benavidez to spend more time at cruiserweight before making the full move to heavyweight.

“I think he could fight at heavyweight,” Garcia said. “But I would say two years, a year and a half, three more cruiserweight fights and then I’ll move up to heavyweight.”

Garcia also mentioned Andy Ruiz Jr., Richard Torrez Jr., Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev as potential future opponents when discussing Benavidez’s future path.

Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.

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Last updated: 16/05/2026 at 10:12

Jake Paul’s claim that he found $200 million specifically for a potential fight with Canelo Alvarez sparked a direct response from the Mexican champion.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer was scheduled to collide with Canelo in May 2025, but Turki Alalshikh stepped in and signed the then super middleweight king to a multi-fight contract.

It made Alvarez a two-time undisputed champion against William Scull before losing his four major titles in a unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford last September.

However, since Crawford announced his retirement and vacated the belts, Canelo is scheduled to fight for the world title in September this year in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

The most likely opponent seems to be WBC champion Christian Mbilli, who is coming off a fascinating draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo-Crawford card.

However, despite this plan, Paul appears to be trying to get back into his game with the 35-year-old, insisting that a $200 million purse remains up for grabs.

The 29-year-old revealed the news on a live broadcast earlier this week, suggesting it is the “biggest fight” in boxing.

“Canelo, I have $200 million for you. Uncomplicated money. Jake Paul vs. Canelo – let’s finish it. This is what the fans have been waiting for; this is the biggest fight you can have in boxing. I think this will be the next fight.

Jake Paul just said Canelo Alvarez will be his next fight and he will pay him $200 million 🤯

“This is the biggest fight you can have in boxing. Jake Paul vs. Canelo. Official.” pic.twitter.com/QJRLuPjO9r

— Cheerful Punch (@HappyPunch) May 13, 2026

In response, Canelo simply posted three laughing emojis on his Instagram story, signaling that Paul’s offer was not to be taken seriously.

After all, there is A a chance the American may never box again, given the injuries he sustained to his jaw after being knocked out by Anthony Joshua in December.