Earlier today, the boxing world celebrated the rise of a new champion. At Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena, Galal Yafai claimed the interim WBC flyweight title. Delivering a stellar performance, Yafai, who will turn 32 in ten days, outclassed Sunny Edwards, who subsequently decided to retire from boxing. The Birmingham-born boxer, a 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, has now paved his way toward greater opportunities in the sport.

In the post-fight interview, promoter Eddie Hearn dropped an intriguing hint—a potential bout against Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers today. Last month, the San Antonio-born two-division world champion further solidified his status with another commanding performance. Notably, Rodriguez defeated Sunny Edwards last year, a loss that many believe significantly impacted Edwards’ career. The possibility of Rodriguez facing Yafai seems to have sparked widespread interest among fans and pundits.

Jesse Rodriguez vs. Galal Yafai: A Potential Blockbuster Event

It appears Robert Garcia expected a question surrounding the potential matchup. The former professional boxer has had an outstanding run this year, with many boxers from his stable claiming titles across divisions. Boxing reporter Ellie Seckbach got in touch with Garcia over a call.

Robert Garcia, it seems, saw the Sunny Edwards-Gala Yafai fight with a few associates. Soon after getting his reaction on Edwards, who appeared quite resigned, especially after the second round, Seckbach took up Eddie Hearn’s post-fight comments. “Eddie Hearn called out ‘Bam’. What do you think?” asked the boxing reporter.

“Oh, I didn’t know that. I didn’t see the whole thing; I just stopped watching the fight right after when they stopped it,” revealed Robert Garcia. Incidentally, he had a hunch—eventually a discussion involving ‘Bam’ Rodriguez would come his way. When Seckbach prompted again, he highlighted that Yafai turned out to be a fairly good fighter. He is an Olympic gold medalist. So a matchup should hold ‘good’, in his opinion.

Eddie Hearn, visibly impressed with Yafai’s performance, hinted at ambitious plans for the new champion. When asked about a potential challenge against reigning WBC flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji, Hearn expressed his commitment to bringing high-profile fights, such as Yafai vs. Edwards, to the UK.

“Yeah, for sure. Look, we want to be the big world championship fights in the UK. He’s going to be around for a long time. You know we have someone else called Jesse Bam Rodriguez. One day those two are going to be in one of the biggest fights in the sport, but for now it’s about capturing the world championship at flyweight, and that hopefully is next,” said Eddie Hearn.

Questions Surrounding Yafai’s Readiness

A matchup between Rodriguez, who currently dominates the 115-pound super flyweight division, and Yafai seems feasible. Perhaps it may be a bit more ‘within reach’ than the much-anticipated fight between Rodrigues and ‘The Monster’ Naoya Inoue. Nevertheless, questions linger about Yafai’s readiness. Some fans may wonder if Yafai’s slick moves and Olympic pedigree are enough to challenge Rodriguez, who is widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted boxers in the world.

Although fans are already speculating about this potential showdown, the outcome remains uncertain. Could Yafai rise to the occasion, or would Rodriguez’s superior skill set prove insurmountable?

What do you think? If a fight makes it through, could Jesse Rodriguez outclass Galal Yafai? Or does the new champion have what it takes to pull off an upset? Let us know your thoughts on this exciting potential clash.