Matchroom Boxing have announced and confirmed that a proposed unification between undefeated flyweights Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (18-0, 11KOs) and Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4KOs) has been signed and will see the pair's respective WBA & IBF titles on the line.
No date and venue has been confirmed at the time of publication, but Matchroom took to social media to announce that both parties have signed on the dotted line and will fight each other later this year.
Rodriguez was ringside in London as Edwards defended his IBF world title against Andres Campos, which saw Edwards claim a unanimous points win with three identical cards of 117-111.
The pair are both represented by Matchroom promotionally, which has made negotiations for a unification encounter relatively straightforward without the issues of differing promotional firms or TV networks, which often delay fights by a substantial period.
Rodriguez is a two-weight world champion after previously holding the WBC’s world super-flyweight world title in 2022 after defeating Carlos Cuadras for the vacant title in February. Two defences of the WBC title came with victories over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Israel Gonzalez, respectively. Rodriguez added the WBO world flyweight title to his resume with points win against Cristian Gonzalez Hernandez to claim the then-vacant title. However, following the victory against Hernandez, it was confirmed that Rodriguez had sustained a broken jaw in the San Antonio, Texas encounter.
Edwards, in 2021, dethroned long-reigning champion Moruti Mthalane over twelve rounds to claim a unanimous points win against the South African. Edwards has defended his title four times since then, winning each contest by unanimous decision.
The proposed fight will see a contrast of styles between the two champions. Edwards, 27, is a technical and counter-punching boxer who likes to use his footwork to be evasive and will come against the front-footed and attacking Rodriguez, one of the most exciting talents under the age of 25 in the sport.
