Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards signed in 112-lb unification for winter on DAZN

Image: Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards signed in 112-lb unification for winter on DAZN
June 25, 2022; San Antonio, Texas; Jesse Rodriguez celebrates his win over Srisaket Sor Rungvisal after their fight at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
By Boxing News - 06/22/2023 - Comments

By Charles Brun: Unbeaten WBO flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and IBF champ Sunny Edwards have signed for a unification fight that will be taking place in the winter on DAZN.

The date & location is still to be determined. It’ll likely wind up in the UK, giving the London native Edwards the home-country advantage.

If Edwards looks anything like he did in his last fight against Andres Campos, it might not help him to be fighting in front of his fans with all British judges. ‘Bam’ Rodriguez can knock out Edwards, particularly if he stands and fights.

For Hearn’s sake, hopefully, he has an escape clause in his contract with Sunny Edwards that he can execute to dump him if he gets blown into the far-distant Whirlpool galaxy. It would be pointless for Hearn to keep Sunny after Bam Rodriguez blasts him out because keeping him around would constantly remind him of his blunder in signing him.

Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn is reporting the news of ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) and Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) having reached a deal & signed for the two to battle in a unification bout at 112, with the IBF & WBO belts being at stake.

Edwards, 27, recently signed with Matchroom, and Hearn talked him up to the media relentlessly, saying he was the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UK, all based on his wins over these fighters:

  • Moruti Mthalane – 40 years old
  • Muhammad Waseem – 35
  • Thomas Essomba – 35
  • Felix Alvarado – 34

If Sunny loses this fight, Hearn will need to come down from the clouds and see who he signed because he’s not the #1 fighter in the UK or anywhere in the top 10.

Edwards is a showboating type of fighter who capitalized on fighting a bunch of old, over-the-hill guys at 112 in a weak division. Sunny didn’t fight the real killer at flyweight, Junta Nakatani, who recently moved up to 115, and immediately captured a world title.

It’s fair to say that if Sunny had fought Nakatani, he would have been knocked out, and Hearn would have never wasted his time, money & effort in signing him. That’s the problem with promoters getting excited over seeing fighters beat fluff opponents.

If they don’t have their eyes open to take notice of the opposition these guys are fighting, they end up with a useless albatross and wonder how they can get rid of the guy.

When Edwards made his Matchroom debut earlier this month on June 10th against 26-year-old Chilean fighter Andres Campos, Hearn discovered that Sunny was not the fighter he’d thought he was, as he struggled badly and appeared to lose the fight.

The judges gave Sunny the victory by a set of wide scores of 117-111 x 3, but Campos had landed the cleaner, harder punches throughout the contest, and many fans felt that he was on the receiving end of a controversial decision.