It might be a coming out party for the victor on Saturday in Glendale, Ariz., when unbeaten IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards faces unbeaten WBO flyweight kingpin Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez in a 112-pound unification bout that will be streamed on DAZN.
Unfortunately, Americans pay so little attention to the lighter weight classes that this classic boxer versus slugger match is going almost completely unnoticed.
And that's a shame, because it's two of the most talented fighters in the world meeting for supremacy in a deep and talented division. That's what we say we want in boxing, and by and large, the promoters have been delivering in 2023. It's up to the fans to react accordingly.
It's an important bout in the sport, and it pits two men of vastly different skillsets.
Edwards is a guy who is almost impossible to hit even when he's standing directly in front of an opponent. He has a way of slipping punches, of sliding away and throwing shots in return, that makes him highly effective and extraordinarily frustrating to face.
Rodriguez is not a classic slugger in the sense of a Deontay Wilder or an Arturo Gatti, but he's got pop in his hands and he delights in the kind of in-close exchanges that Edwards is so good at defusing. It's a contrast of styles, both boxing-wise and personality-wise.
Edwards is 20-0 with four knockouts and wins his fights by being one of the hardest-to-hit fighters in the sport. He's an outspoken trash talker, particularly on social media, and he backs it up in the ring by luring his opponents into his range and then almost disappearing when they arrive.
They wanted the bad guy, got him & didn’t like him 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/2XL8Y6qXO7
— 20-1Sunny (@SunnyEdwards) December 15, 2023
Rodriguez has the power to finish a fight and the willingness to go toe-to-toe, but he's a quiet and unassuming sort away from the ring.
It's the kind of fight we say we want, and it's one that after much struggle, promoter Eddie Hearn was able to put together. And even after putting it together, Hearn had to deal with some issues when Edwards said he'd pull out if Hearn didn't get him tickets for the NBA game Tuesday in Phoenix between the Suns and the Golden State Warriors.
"I think that this is one of the fights of the year, the big unification match-up between Jesse Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards, the WBO and IBF world titles on the line," Hearn said. "It's so unique to see the best versus the best, and this is unquestionably the best versus the best of the division. When we signed Sunny, he said he wanted any champion at any moment, and Jesse has had an incredible run. It's unusual to see two young, undefeated guys in their complete prime who are willing to risk it all at this stage. No marinating fights, no stringing fights out, no fighting weaker champions: This is just the best versus the best."
There was a bit of heat between the two at the final news conference, with Rodriguez noting that Edwards wasn't talking much once they were face-to-face after yapping a lot on social media. Edwards said he was being quiet because he didn't want to spook Rodriguez and give him a reason to pull out of the fight.
This is a career-defining fight for both, so no one is going to pull out, but it helps a fighter like Edwards to get an opponent angry and coming at him hard. That allows him to counterpunch and pile up points.
"I know exactly who I am," Edwards said. "I just didn't want to bully a 23-year-old kid because [Rodriguez] wouldn’t have turned up otherwise. That's why we've been chilling. You don't know who you are. You don't even know if you like boxing. You have been a nice, quiet little boy and now you want to say I don't know who I am? You are the one that's confused. Of course, I shake your hand. You are a fighter. It's not about talking shit. The reason I laid off you was I know how hard it was to get you and your team to accept this fight. You didn't want this fight. On Saturday night, you are going to be like your brother, retired. You have no heart for this.
"Everyone says 'Game plan, game plan, game plan,' but it all goes out of the window when you can't lay a glove on me. Facts. I’m not worried about this kid."
He should be. Rodriguez is 18-0 with 11 knockouts and has looked at times like one of the 10 best fighters in the world. He hasn't been able to maintain that high level consistently, but he's clearly on the verge of being on the pound-for-pound list.
Rodriguez has been groomed for this moment for a long time, and he's not about to let a little trash talk get in his way.
"This is the biggest fight of my career, no doubt, but I approach it the same way I always do: Cool, calm and collected," Rodriguez said. "There's no need for talking. All my work has been done in the gym and on Saturday night, you'll see that. I've always been this way, and this is nothing different. It's just another day and on Saturday night, I am ready to shine. Camp is done, training is done, we have the right game plan and come Saturday night, people will see everything we've been working on. My hand will be raised in victory, and I am taking his belt, his ‘0’ and it's time."