“My answer is to talk to Robert Garcia and Bam, you know, it’s one fight at 118 pounds,” Hearn told DAZN Boxing after Rodriguez stopped Vargas in six rounds to win the WBA bantamweight title. “We also have Chispa Medina. This is a great unification fight that must be fought between the two of them.”

The comments show a different perspective on the debate that has been raging around Bam Rodriguez since his last victory. A lot of attention was focused on the Naoya Inoue fight, especially after trainer Robert Garcia indicated that he would prefer Bam have one more fight before moving on to fight the undisputed super bantamweight champion.

If Garcia remains committed to keeping Rodriguez at bantamweight for his next fight, Medina (27-4, 19 KO) would be a logical option. Instead of competing in a non-title fight, Rodriguez would have the opportunity to unify the WBA and WBO championships in just his second appearance at 118 pounds.

Rodriguez (25-0, 18 KO) moved up from super flyweight to dethrone Antonio Vargas by sixth-round knockout in Glendale, Arizona, becoming a three-division world champion at the age of 26.

Hearn later reminded fans that the main goal remains a future fight with Inoue.

“The deal has to be right. The offer has to be right,” Hearn said. “I know Bam will do it, without a doubt. Robert will do it too. But we have a long-term future in this sport. Belts up for grabs at 118 pounds.”

Hearn’s comments changed the discussion about Rodriguez’s next move. Rather than speculate on Inoue’s future showdown, promoter Matchroom considered WBO champion Christian “Chispa” Medina as a realistic option for Bam’s next fight.

Roy Jones Jr named another Hall of Famer whose speed would pose major problems if they ever collided in the ring.

The American had remarkable speed himself, particularly during his dominant run between middleweight and airy heavyweight, with his only defeat coming against Montell Griffin in 1997.

Even then, Jones was only disqualified for punching Griffin while he was on one knee, and eventually won the rematch via first-round stoppage later that year.

Regardless of this flaw, the pound-for-pound legend was almost untouchable throughout his prime, yet he admits that fellow icon Sugar Ray Leonard would have been a tough matchup.

While Jones was arguably most effective at 168 to 175 pounds, Leonard scored two of his most crucial victories – against Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran – at 147 pounds.

He then moved up to middleweight and, most importantly, he won a razor-thin split decision against Marvin Haglerbefore a rematch with Hearns at the 164-pound catchweight in 1989.

At this point, Leonard had everything behind him, and yet even at middleweight, “Sugar Ray” would be considered a fierce opponent for Jones.

In a social media clip reposted by BeeBoxJones explains that Leonard’s speed and malice would cause him problems.

“I never really wanted to fight [Leonard]. I knew that [against] a swift fighter like him, the jab is your problem – you can’t [keep] punch in the face.

“If you let him move around and do what he wants [wants to] do this, he will beat you because he is very compact tempered and very mean.

Ultimately, Leonard ultimately retired following a loss to Hector Camacho in 1997, though admittedly both he and Jones were shadows of their former selves before they hung up the gloves.

In the main event, Rodriguez improved to 24-0 (17 KO) after a sixth-round stoppage of Vargas, who dropped to 19-2-1 (11 KO). Rodriguez secured the victory at 1:15 of the sixth round of the scheduled 12-round fight.

Vargas had the advantage in the first round, ahead of Rodriguez. Rodriguez responded well in the second round, using the move effectively before Vargas closed the scoring strongly with a quick strike slow on. Vargas continued to find success in the third and fourth rounds, often overpowering Rodriguez.

The fight took a dramatic turn in the fifth round when Rodriguez delivered an overhand left hand that knocked Vargas down early in the round. Referee Chris Flores counted and Vargas got up and continued.

In the sixth round, Rodriguez closed the show. A fierce three-punch combination sent Vargas to the canvas again, and Flores counted out Vargas, giving Rodriguez another world title to add to his growing resume.

In the co-main event, Arturo Cardenas improved his record to 18-0-2 (9 KO), defeating Jordan Martinez, who dropped to 16-1-1 (15 KO) over 10 rounds.

The first two rounds were close, with Cardenas pressing and having a slight advantage. Martinez found success in the third and fourth rounds with his counter punches and movements, rocking Cardenas with a left hand slow in the fourth round.

Cardenas responded in the fifth round, landing a right hand that caught Martinez’s attention in another close stanza. From the sixth to ninth rounds, the action remained fierce, although Cardenas seemed to gain the advantage with body attacks. In the 10th and final round, Cardenas seemed to outsmart Martinez enough to secure the decision.

The judges scored the fight 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93. Raul Caiz Jr. he was a judge.

In the lightweight division, Elias Terraza remained undefeated, improving to 14-0 (9 KO), following a second-round stoppage of Adrian Rodriguez, who dropped to 10-1 (6 KO).

Terraza effectively took advantage of his height advantage in the first round, landing a jab and landing a right hand to Rodriguez’s temple in the final minute. Early in the second round, Terraza dropped a right cross to Rodriguez. After Rodriguez took down the count, Terraza pounced on him with a sustained attack, forcing referee Chris Flores to stop the fight at the 2:30 mark.

IBF women’s lightweight champion Elif Nur Turhan defended her title with a narrow unanimous decision over Gabriela “Sosa” Tellez.

Turhan improved to 14-0 (8 KO), while Tellez dropped to 7-1 (3 KO). Despite the official verdict, the fight was fierce throughout.

Turhan boxed effectively in the early rounds, while Tellez managed to land right hands, especially slow in the opening phase. Turhan seemed to have the advantage in the middle rounds before Tellez rallied in the fifth round.

Turhan landed a solid right hand in the final seconds of the sixth round that briefly rattled Tellez. In the seventh round, Tellez responded with a left hook that drew blood from Turhan’s mouth before the champion finished the round strongly.

The ninth round was close and Turhan seemed to have beaten Tellez. During the final round, referee Richard Hoyle warned Turhan twice for pushing Tellez to the canvas. Turhan pushed tough to stop in the closing moments, landing a wild right hand as the fight came to an end.

All three judges scored the fight 96-94 in favor of Turhan.