Eddie Hearn clarifies contractual situation of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez

The career of Jesse Bam Rodriguez continues to go from strength to strength. The current Lineal and unified super flyweight champion was last seen in action on the Ring IV card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 22, 2025. 

He faced the dangerous WBA champion Fernando Martínez (18-1, 9 KOs) and boxed beautifully before stopping Martinez in the 10th round, while in complete control of the fight. His exceptional movement saw Martinez miss wildly throughout as Bam mixed his attacks exceptionally.

The fight ended in the 10th round, where Rodriguez landed a counter left hook, flooring Martinez, who could not beat the count, meaning Rodriguez won the WBA title, to go with his existing  WBC and WBO titles. It has recently been revealed that the unified super flyweight champion is now a promotional free agent. Eddie Hearn has since spoken to Rob Tebbutt at the Sportsman to clarify Bam’s contractual situation.

Eddie Hearn discusses contractual situation of Jesse Bam Rodriguez

Discussing the contractual situation of Bam, Hearn said:

“So, we have some matching options on him, moving forward, negotiation options, but we don’t expect to worry about that.

“We have a plan in place with Robert Garcia and Jesse to try and get him that undisputed championship. There’s a lot to unravel because you’ve got the IBF. You’ve got the champion in Willibaldo Garcia, who’s just pulled out of his fight. He’s gotta fight Maloney next. 

“Somehow, we’ve got to make Maloney happy. We’ve got to make Bam happy. We’ve got to make Willibaldo Garcia (23-6-2, 13 KOs) happy. It’s not an easy task, and we want to do something historic for Bam at The Alamodome as well. I’m not naive enough to know that things change, but I expect Bam to be with Matchroom for the rest of his career.

“He means a huge amount to us personally, and Kevin Rooney, me, and the team, plus as a business. We’ve done an unbelievable job for him, paid him a fortune, and he deserves it, by the way. And the new offer and the new package will be a lot of money. He deserves it because he’s one of the best fighters in the sport.”

Hearn teases move to 118 for Jesse Bam Rodriguez

When asked if Bam could move to 118 for his next fight, Hearn said: “Yeah, possibly. I think if he doesn’t get the undisputed fight, he’ll move up. The issue is, Maloney’s going to fight for peanuts against Garcia, whereas he could get a fight on the undercard, make a nice few quid, and get a guaranteed purse against the winner of that fight. Sometimes you gotta take away the emotion and do good business.”

Matchroom have done a great job for Jesse Bam Rodriguez, and Hearn appears confident they will continue to work with the talented American.