Notebook: With 'Bam' challenging for 118 title, he vacates 115 belts
Mayweather-Zambidis exhibition on DAZN PPV; Zuffa Boxing's NYC debut details; Mayer-Cameron unification set; new Boxxer deal; Itauma, AJ-Fury updates; Quick hits; Show & tell double
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Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s days at junior bantamweight are over.
Ahead of his move up to bantamweight to challenge for a world title in a third weight class, Rodriguez, the lineal 115-pound champion, has vacated all three of his sanctioning body titles — the WBC, WBO and WBA.
Robert Garcia, his trainer and manager, said via social media that letters had been sent to the organizations notifying them of the decision.
Rodriguez could have waited to see how things go when he challenges WBA bantamweight titlist Antonio Vargas in the Matchroom Boxing headliner on Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, but he opted to vacate before the upcoming fight with no plans to return to the division, win or lose.
Rodriguez is looking to go to an even heavier division because if he beats Vargas he is likely headed up to junior featherweight to challenge undisputed champion Naoya Inoue late this year.
With Rodriguez vacating, the WBA said it would elevate David Jimenez (18-1, 12 KOs), 34, of Costa Rica, to the full titleholder from interim status.
