SA native Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez all-in on bantamweight title fight against reigning champion Antonio Vargas

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) is set to battle for the WBA Bantamweight Title against defending champion Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) in a 12-round main event Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona.

The event will be Rodriguez’s first fight this year and first in the bantamweight division.

The undefeated champ and ESPN’s No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer in the world recently vacated his WBC, WBA and WBO super flyweight titles ahead of the Vargas fight as he plans to compete in the 118-pound bantamweight division for the time being.

Rodriguez spoke at a press conference in Desert Diamond Arena on Friday ahead of the big fight and addressed the all-in stakes he set for himself.

“(I’m) constantly trying to challenge myself,” Rodriguez said. “If it’s not a world title fight, then it really doesn’t interest me. Or even if it’s just a simple defense, it really doesn’t interest me or get me going inside the gym.”

Rodriguez, 26, isn’t a fan of plan Bs. By eliminating his fallback leverage to potentially reclassify in the 115-pound class, he’s set to compete in the 118-pound division, or heavier, going forward.

“I’m feeling much better at this weight class ... the fact that I don’t have to lose that extra three pounds,” Rodriguez said. “So, just expect another spectacular performance, and I’m ready to go out there and make it happen.”

The question will be whether Rodriguez can dominate at this level like he did in the lighter-weight divisions before eventually reaching his ultimate goal of fighting the undisputed No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Naoya Inoue.

Ask him? There’s no doubt in his mind that the answer is yes.

“I feel like I haven’t even shown 50% of what I’m capable of,” Rodriguez said. “But the tougher the opponent, then the bigger my performance. And Antonio Vargas, I feel like he’s going to bring out another percentage of ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, and I can’t wait to go out there and show it.”

“Bam” is a massive betting favorite over Vargas, with the money line currently ranging between -2000 and -3335 in his favor across major sportsbooks.

Rodriguez vs. Vargas will air on DAZN, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. CT.