Sunny Edwards took a slash-and-burn approach to Thursday’s final press conference for his fight against WBO flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez this Saturday night. Edwards had a temper tantrum after a few well-chosen remarks by Bam, turning things ugly. With the monitor of the press conference, Eddie Hearn, doing nothing to control Edwards, he had a royal fit, spoiling the atmosphere completely.
IBF champion Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) took what had been an interesting press conference and dragged it through the mud by repeatedly calling the 23-year-old Bam Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) a “cheater” due to his association with SNAC.
Rodriguez got quiet after Edwards started with the cheater stuff, and he mostly just calmly listened, looking at him like he was in the presence of an insane person.
There was no way that Bam could have competed with Edwards once he went on his long-winded rant because he was talking a mile a minute and looked wild-eyed and frenzied like he was capable of doing anything.
Edwards & Rodriguez will headline this Saturday on DAZN from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez: “I’m going to do you like [Julio Cesar] Martinez did your brother [Charlie Edwards],” said Bam at the final press conference on Thursday.
Sunny Edwards: “On Saturday night, you’re going to be retired like your brother. Two Rodriguez brothers retired. You’ve got no heart for this sport. Then he failed a drug test, and he refused to fight me.”
Eddie Hearn: “Bam, one thing that Sunny said to me that I didn’t agree with is you’d pull out of this fight.”
Sunny: “He’s got prams to buy. Of course, he’s not going to pull out of it.”
Rodriguez: “I had my jaw broken, and I called you out the same night.”
Edwards: “Why did it take you so long to agree to the fight? Trying to get me in a sixteen-foot ring, I had to fight in America. I had to do this. I didn’t care. Ask Eddie. I said, ‘Everything, let’s go,’ and we’re here.”
Hearn: “Bam, how do you beat this guy on Saturday night? He’s very slippy, very slick, very skilled.”
Rodriguez: “We’re ready, you’ll see on Saturday night.”
Edwards: “That’s what everyone says. ‘My coach has got a game plan.’ That game plan goes out the window when they fight me.”
Hearn: “Sunny, this is a very talented fighter and definitely the best fighter you’ve been in with in your career on Saturday night. What happens when you two meet in this arena?”
Edwards: “I beat him. Of course, he’s the best. He’s with those other cheaters at SNAC. Imagine having that logo on your belt. You have question marks all over your career.
“Imagine having the most systematic, historical cheater in world professional boxing as your nutritionist. That’s crazy to me. We know what you’re doing after you weigh-in. We know where you’re going.
“We know you’re struggling at weight. If we put someone outside of your hotel, you won’t make it to the ring. Why? Because you need a doctor to come put something in your vein. There you go. Deny that. Quiet. Silence. SNAC fighters. There are question marks on all of you. You can put anything in your body. I don’t care.
“SNAC fighters. We know what that means when we see that logo on someone’s shorts. We know exactly what that means. Quiet. Exactly. Quiet.”
Rodriguez: “I know you’re paying attention.”
Edwards: “You’re not denying how you rehydrate. To prepare for a fight, you’ve got SNAC. That means cheat.”
Rodriguez: “Nah, not on this side. I’ve got drug testing.”
Edwards: “Just because you passed a drug test doesn’t mean you’re clean. You’ve got the badge for cheat on your shorts, proudly. We know what you do after the weigh-in, don’t worry. If someone camped outside of your hotel room, you’d be lost. But don’t worry, we won’t do that.
“We’ll let you get what you need to make yourself feel comfortable when you get in the ring because you ain’t going to win anyway. You might as well put that belt over here.”
Hearn: “Sunny, you’ve been fairly outspoken on social media but not particularly outspoken face-to-face. The first press conference was quite chilled as well. Is this an effort to get under his skin before the fight?”
Edwards: “No, man. I’m sober. It’s fight week.”
Hearn: “Can you stop this man?”
Edwards: “I can stop anyone if I choose to or not. I’ll win, and I’ll do it clean as well. You don’t have to siphon nothing out of this system. SNAC, we know what that stands for. Yeah, SNAC. You’re f*** right.”
Hearn: “Jesse, can you stop this man?”
Rodriguez: “Yes.”
Hearn: “I see the look on your face. You’d quite like to do that.”
Rodriguez: “I’m ready.”
Hearn: “Obviously, you’re a two-division world champion. You’ll become a unified world champion on Saturday night. Both of those belts go back to San Antonio.”
Rodriguez: “Yep, Bam Rodriguez, the WBO unified champion on Saturday night.”
Hearn: “Sunny, I know you’re chasing legacy. That’s important to you. This victory would go down as one of the greatest victories for a British fighter. Are you ready to take these two belts back to the UK on Sunday?”
Edwards: “Of course I am. That’s why I come here for. I’m not worried about this 23-year-old kid to my right, who needs performance-enhancing substances from the historic, prolific biggest cheater in the world, advising him how to make weight and what to do after the weigh-in.
“I don’t need none of that. Clean hearts always win, and that’s what I am: a clean-hearted fighter. Clean body, mind, soul. See how he went very quiet when I mentioned his nutritionist. Yeah, we’re not stupid. We just don’t care. That’s the difference. We don’t care.”
Hearn: “We look forward to what I believe the fight of the year.”
Edwards: “Go get that sweatsuit on and go in that hot room. I’m already on weight. I could weigh-in now.”
Rodriguez: “I’m on weight too.”
Edwards: “I’ve got scales in there if you want to prove it.”
Rodriguez: “Let’s go.”