EVERY WORD FROM THE FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF BAM VS. VARGAS IN GLENDALE, ARIZONA
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 12 Jun 2026
Bam aiming to become three-weight World champion against WBA ruler on Saturday night, live worldwide on DAZN
Eddie Hearn
“Welcome everybody to the wonderful Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, which has become one of our favorite places to visit, and Phoenix is becoming a real fight city. We're going to have well over 10,000 in attendance on Saturday night, our biggest crowd ever in Phoenix, and more importantly for me, one of the cards of the year, a World championship double header, as pound-for-pound star Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez looks to try and win a third division World championship against the WBA king Antonio Vargas. The undercard is sensational, what a night of boxing.
“I said to Jordan Martinez just a few minutes ago, every one of these six fighters up here for the undercard press conference is undefeated, and that will change on Saturday night. We’ve got World championship action up here, a local derby, and the rematch of a brilliant fight.
“What a week we've got here for DAZN, and what a few months we've got coming up. I've said it time and time again, the zone firmly established as the global home of boxing. Every worthy promoter in the world is now on the platform with the best schedule boxing has ever seen. And for us at Matchroom, what a couple of weeks and months coming up. Saturday, a huge night in Glendale, Arizona. But in two weeks time for me, one of the fights of the year. Another pound-for-pound star on the Matchroom roster, as Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis takes on Xander Zayas for the unified World championship at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“We'll be announcing another show this weekend for July 18 with one of the most exciting young fighters of the world in Los Angeles, before we head to Jeddah for the return of Anthony Joshua against Kristian Prenga before he hopes to fight Tyson Fury in November later this year. And of course, September 5 already announced, over 80,000 people at Croke Park in Ireland for the final fight of Katie Taylor's incredible career.
“But now we focus on what is for me one of the cards of the year on Saturday night, live and exclusive on DAZN around the world.”
Jesse Rodriguez
“Always ready to go. Always 100 per cent ready mentally, physically. This is just another step in my career. I've been training just as hard as any other fight. I never look past any opponent. I know each opponent is coming to take what I have, but I make sure that doesn't happen every time I step inside the gym and give 110 per cent and I'm just ready to go out there and give the fans a great fight.
“I’m constantly trying to challenge myself. If it's not a World title fight, then it really doesn't interest me, even if it's just a simple defense, it doesn't get me going inside the gym. So, when I got the opportunity to fight Antonio Vargas for another World title in another weight division, I was on goal right away. Antonio is an Olympian, he’s a World champion, the fact that I'm able to move up to a new weight class and that be my first fight, it means everything to me. I'm ready to go out there and capture the moment.
“I feel like I haven't even shown 50 per cent of what I'm capable of, but the tougher the opponent, then the better my performance. Antonio is going to bring out another percentage of Bam Rodriguez, and I can't wait to go out there and show it. I'm feeling much better at this weight class, much sharper, stronger and faster.
“Just expect another spectacular performance and I'm ready to go out there and make it happen.”
Antonio Vargas
“I do believe things are going to go in my favor. I've trained hard for this fight, and I look forward to proving to the world who I am. I'm just focused on Bam. I know after I beat him, it opens up so many more doors for me. So, I'm tunnel vision right now and I'm just focused, just to get this win and get that out the way and then whatever comes after that comes.
“I'm really excited. I've trained my whole life at this moment, and I believe this will be one of many more moments to come. I'm prepared and I want to give the fans a good fight. I’m fighting one of the best fighters in the boxing right now, so I'm really excited to put a good performance on for the fans.”
Robert Garcia, Rodriguez’s trainer
“I think Bam is ready to compete at 118lbs, we have to look at Vargas as a great challenge, and we always focus on what's next for us. We don't look ahead of time because there is that challenge for us. We have to step take it step by step, there’s so much talk about future fights in new way and all that but for us right now, the most important fight is is is Vargas so we don't look ahead of time, we want to take our time, we want to make sure he he looks and feels good at 118.
“Bam is incredible. His talent, his discipline, he's so dedicated to the sport and to what he's doing that I don't know how far he can take it. I don't think we've seen the best of Bam yet, the best still to come, and our first step is Vargas on Saturday. We'll show what Bam can do and from there everybody will see you we're not making up stories; they will see that Bam is looking better every single time he steps in the ring.”
Arturo Cardenas
“This time I know I'm really well prepared mentally and physically. So, like last fight, I know I have won that fight, but it happens. I'm more than ready for this fight.
“I don't really care what he always says about me to be honest. I'm more focused on the fight. I'm more focused on winning this fight and I'm just really happy and anxious for this fight. It's a must, just get him out the way and now looking on the big fights, getting them belts.”
Jordan Martinez
“I feel like I should have took the first fight. He thinks the same, but I'm just here to show that there's really levels to this.
“There's more pressure but it doesn't phase me, because at the end of the day, the bell rings and it's me and him only. I'm just ready to fight so we could get this out the way and so I can come out victorious and take what was mine in the first place.
“He didn’t win the last fight at all. I beat his ass with just a jab. That's what I'm saying. I just beat him with a jab. And this time, he thinks he going to knock me out? He ain't knocking nobody out. I expect him to apply more pressure, but he's slow as hell. He can't even touch me.
“It's a sportsmanship, I know we're going all out, and this is going to be a war, but we're taking that belt back home.
“I just got to get him out the way. He ain't somebody I'm really chasing. He's just somebody that has to be in my position so I could get to the next level, and that's all I'm doing, just moving him out my way.”
Elif Turhan
“I'm very happy to be here. Discipline is everything on boxing. She's young, I know this, but we will see how great fighter she is. The World championship fight is my target all the time and I got it, but this is not the final destination, I need other belts.
“Everybody talking about this being an easy fight, I don't think like this because she's unbeaten, she's been fighting six, seven, eight before being 19 years old, I know everything about her. I am not relaxed on this fight like unification fights. When I see her eyes, I can understand she is ready to fight. I must defend my belt with war.”
Gabriela Tellez
“Thank you to Matchroom, DAZN, my promoter, BoxLab, I'm ready for this opportunity. I'm not scared of no challenge. This is a big challenge, but everybody got to take that step, and I feel like I'm ready for that. They see a lot of potential in me. I've been working with Jose, I've been working with Junior Lopez for years now, they know me for years and they know I'm ready for this for this challenge. I could box, I could fight, I could do it all. I feel like you seen it before and you gonna see it again come Saturday night.”
Adrian Rodriguez
“This is everything to me right now. When you talk about this stage and this opportunity, a victory here and in style in front of 12,000 on Saturday night, I'm excited for this. I'm excited to get down and show the people, you know, who the I am. I want to be there, I want to represent, not just by talking about my actions. I know I'm a good fighter. I know I could take him down easily.”
Elias Terraza
“I want to give a thank you to Eddie Hearn and Kevin Rooney from Matchroom for giving me the opportunity to be on a card like this, I can't wait for Saturday. I'm super excited. Come Saturday night, you guys can expect a KO from me.
“We're both local fighters. I really don't know him and I know he doesn't know me, we're both from different rival promoters, so I think that's going to be a big play coming into the fight, seeing who is the better fighter from which promotion, come Saturday night, you guys going to see who who's going to get the knockout and for sure it's going to be me.”
FIGHT WEEK SCHEDULE (all times local)
Friday June 12 - public weigh-in - Desert Diamond Arena, live from 1pm on
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