THE Riyadh Season event planned for November seems to be shaping up nicely, as yet another mouth-watering matchup has just been announced by Turki Alalshikh.
Taking to social media yesterday evening, the boxing paymaster teased that a super-flyweight unification showdown between Jesse Rodriguez and Fernando Martinez is set to materialise.
And while an official date is yet to emerge, it is nonetheless likely that the pair will lock horns on a stacked card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The main event, which should see Brian Norman Jr defend his WBO world welterweight title against Devin Haney, was announced via Alalshikh’s social media channels last week.
Along with that, the Saudi boxing chief has since declared that David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde and Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes – two more world title fights – will also take place in November.
Regarding the card’s latest addition, meanwhile, it would appear that Rodriguez’s 23rd professional outing, despite his upcoming unification, has already been tentatively planned.
The WBC world champion must first come through a stern assignment against Phumelela Cafu, his WBO counterpart, on July 19.
Newly-crowned champion Cafu is no slouch, either, with the South African coming off a sizable upset to dethrone Kosei Tanaka on away soil last October.
But in any case, it could be said that ‘Bam’ – who most regard as the best 115lb operator – now has an extra layer of motivation to take care of business later this month.
WBA champion Martinez, 18-0 (9 KOs), on the other hand, is sitting pretty, patiently waiting for his sizable opportunity after securing a second points victory over Kazuto Ioka in May.
As for the fight itself, it goes without saying that, given their all-action styles, anything less than a barnburner between Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs), and Martinez would be somewhat disappointing.
