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Rodriguez does what he does best against Vargas

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1 month ago

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Author: Sean Crose

Don’t be fooled by this. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez was seen as the future of boxing. Although he had already won world titles in two weight classes, his WBA bantamweight title fight on Saturday night against defending champion Antonio Vargas was expected to be the next rung on the ladder to the top of the sport. Correct. Rodriguez stepped into the ring in Arizona on Saturday night and was hailed as boxing’s next substantial star. Could it become the elusive “household name”? If so, he would likely be the first fighter to do so since Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Naturally, Vargas saw it as his mission to crash the party. After all, he was the defending champion and felt he had a lot to prove. He may not have been very celebrated, but Vargas was certainly determined. He also had a set of skills that made him noteworthy. But were they noteworthy for players like Rodriguez? The answer was most likely deemed to be no. However, it is worth mentioning that Vargas did not have to face Rodriguez. The choice was his. However, the truth about who owned the night was revealed with the sound of the opening bell.

It became clear very early on that Vargas was certainly capable of challenging the celebrated Rodriguez. In fact, he gave Rodriguez a lot of trouble. By the end of the first quarter of the fight, it seemed that Vargas, not Rodriguez, was in charge. However, it ended in the 5th set when Rodriguez knocked down Vargas with a wonderful shot. Vargas, however, not only defeated the count, but also performed well for the remainder of the round. However, the end of the fight came faster than Vargas wanted. In the sixth set, Rodriguez’s explosive shot knocked down the defending champion and eliminated him from the game. Now it was Rodriguez who held the WBA bantamweight title.

“He was a lot tougher than I expected,” Rodriguez said immediately after the fight. “Luckily, I was able to get him out of there in the 6th.” As for the explosive knockout that ended the fight, Rodriguez was clear about it. “I’m not looking for a punch,” he said. “It just comes.” Indeed, it was this type of confidence that led this man to win the fight as much as his thunderous power.

At this point, everyone expects Rodriguez to face the great Naoya Inoue. This would be a great fight, but it’s worth wondering if Rodriguez would be able to beat the Japanese fighter at this point. Vargas proved to be a challenging opponent. How much tougher can Inoue get? On the other hand, boxing is about challenging yourself, rising to the occasion and overcoming adversity. If Rodriguez decides to go down this route against the likes of Inoue, the man deserves nothing but praise. Things could get captivating soon. Then again, this is boxing, so you never know.

A fight between Rodriguez and Inoue would be exhilarating for fans, but boxing is largely governed by politics, not fan opinion. If this were not the case, there would be many more fights between fighters that the public would want to see. Of course, the time shift between the match against Vargas and Inoue could be beneficial for Rodriguez. Again, he didn’t look like he could easily beat Inoue, if at all on Saturday. After all, they don’t call Inoue “The Monster” for nothing. Then again, they don’t call Rodriguez “Bam” for nothing.

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Boxing

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

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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"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.

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

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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"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.”

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.

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

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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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.

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