THE announcement that Jesse Rodriguez will take on Fernando Martinez came from way out of left field, so much so that even ‘Bam’ did not expect it to appear on his social media feed.
He is, after all, gearing up for a vastly different unification, this one against WBO world super-flyweight champion Phumelela Cafu, on July 19.
The pair will collide at The Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, with WBC titlist Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs), looking to enhance his pound-for-pound status in front of his home fans.
At the same time, though, there is now a carrot – emerging in the form of WBA champion Martinez, 18-0 (9 KOs) – that has been dangled ahead of his dustup next week.
An official announcement came late last night, as boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh took to social media to confirm his blockbuster card for November 22.
A mouth-watering clash between Rodriguez and Martinez has, of course, been previously mooted, but the timing of its arrival is what has ultimately left many scratching their heads.
With ‘Bam’ already heading into a fight of such importance – the result of which is no foregone conclusion, either – he has hardly been afforded much of an opportunity to even consider his assignment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As a result, the 25-year-old has simply ignored the outside noise – or at least, a large chunk of it – and instead remained focused on the task at hand.
“Honestly, I haven’t paid any attention to it,” Rodriguez told Boxing News.
“I know that Cafu is a dangerous opponent, and if I don’t get past him, then that fight [against Martinez] won’t even happen. I’m 100 per cent focused on Cafu right now.”
Be that as it may, Rodriguez equally acknowledges that, while he was not anticipating Alalshikh’s social media post – much like the rest of us – to arrive so soon, the stakes for July 19 have, all of a sudden, become terrifically high.
“I didn’t know it was going to be announced,” he admitted, “but I knew that it was in the works. I just wasn’t sure on a date, or where [it would take place], but I knew that it was being talked about.
“[The Martinez fight] does add motivation. Like I said, if I don’t get past Cafu, then I won’t get that huge fight. I just need to go out there and make sure that I get my hand raised on July 19.”
