Jesse Bam Rodriguez Knocks Out Antonio Vargas in Sixth Round

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez defeated Antonio Vargas by sixth-round knockout on June 14, 2026, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Rodriguez won the WBA bantamweight title at 118 pounds and improved his professional record to 24-0 with 17 knockouts. Vargas fell to 19-2-1 with 11 knockouts.

Rodriguez moved up in weight to contest the 118-pound division. He dropped Vargas in the fifth round before ending the fight with a right-hand knockout punch in the sixth. The victory made Rodriguez a three-division world champion at 112, 115 and 118 pounds.

Vargas came out throwing hard combinations straight down the middle and appeared to have an answer for Rodriguez's lateral movement through the first four rounds. Rodriguez snapped Vargas's head back with clean left hands and built combinations off shifting footwork and southpaw angles. Late in the fourth round Rodriguez appeared to shift into a higher gear.

Rodriguez's trainer Robert Garcia said he wants another fight in the 118-pound division. Forbes reported that the broader reaction cast the performance as an elite pound-for-pound fighter doing what he should against a live underdog. Discussion after the fight centered on whether Rodriguez should next face Takuma Inoue, who holds the WBC bantamweight title.