Jesse Rodriguez is unwilling to crown himself as the pound-for-pound king of boxing just yet, admitting that Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk should be ranked above him on a pound-for-pound list.
Based on achievements alone, it is difficult to dispute the 26-year-old’s assessment, given that both Inoue and Usyk have become two-division undisputed champions.
In terms of recent performances, however, it could be argued that ‘Bam’ is being a little harsh on himself, especially when considering Usyk’s subpar display against Rico Verhoeven last month.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, secured emphatic stoppages over Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez last year, becoming the unified champion at 115lbs.
With this momentum, he now looks to become a three-division world champion against Antonio Vargas, who he faces for the WBA bantamweight title this Saturday.
If he emerges victorious, then Rodriguez is set to pursue a clash with super-bantamweight king Inoue, who he has named as the sport’s leading fighter.
Elsewhere on his list, ‘Bam’ has conceded that four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson is also ranked above him, purely based on his unanimous decision victory over Teofimo Lopez in January.
Revealing this information during a media huddle with several outlets, including FightHype, Rodriguez admitted that Usyk, too, deserves to be placed in the top three.
“I think I’m at number four. I was at number three but, with the win Shakur got [against] Teofimo, I feel like I have no choice but to put him at number three.
“So I’ve got Inoue at one, Usyk at two, Shakur [at three] and then myself [at four].”
While not quite doing enough to enter his own top three, Rodriguez would surely change his tune if he manages to defeat Inoue, who he could end up facing towards the end of 2026 or early next year.
