WBA super flyweight champion Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez and WBC champ Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez will meet in November for a unification clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bam Rodriguez Fights Cafu Next

Turki Alalshikh announced the Martinez vs. Bam Rodriguez fight today, despite Jesse still needing to win his July 19th unification contest against the undefeated WBO 115-lb champion Phumelele Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KOs) at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. That fight will be shown live on DAZN.

Cafu Fight: A Must-Win

So, Bam Rodriguez, 25, must win his fight against the South African Cafu to face Fernando Martinez in November. Fans on social media are confused about why Turki chose to announce the Bam-Martinez fight early because it’s disrespectful to Cafu, and it’s not a certainty that Bam will win his fight against him.

Jesse Rodriguez is an excellent fighter, but he’s not infallible. He’s been hurt before, and he may lose to Cafu. If that happens, Turki will have made his announcement for nothing. It’s doubtful that he’ll want to use Cafu in the unification fight against ‘Puma’ Martinez for November. It wouldn’t hold as much fan interest.

Moreover, there will be a big push for Bam to avenge his loss to Cafu. So, a rematch would be a given. They’re not going to let Cafu walk away without offering him a boatload of money to allow Bam to try and redeem himself. He’s too important for business reasons for a rematch not to happen.

Martinez Beat Ioka Twice

Fernando Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) defeated Kazuto Ioka in his last two fights. There was a rematch last May. The rematch was due to the judges’ scores being wide in favor of Martinez last year in July when he dethroned IBF champion Ioka, beating him by a 12-round unanimous decision in Tokyo, Japan. However, Martinez proved that he was the better fighter all along by defeating Ioka by another wide 12-round decision in their second fight this year.