Jesse Rodriguez vs Sunny Edwards undercard: Complete list of fights before the main event
The American and the Brit will go head-to-head in a fight where the flyweight unification will be on the line.
The countdown for one of the most exciting fights in the second half of the year has begun. Jesse Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards will meet in the ring in a bout where both men will be looking to become the unified champion in the 112 pounds category.
Bam holds the WBO belt, while Edwards is the IBF titleholder, but besides that, both men will try to defend their undefeated records till the very end.
Rodriguez’s path to stardom started in his fight vs. Carlos Cuadras, where he earned a unanimous decision win that saw him win the vacant WBC super flyweight title. After that, he proved that his success wasn’t something casual, as he got his hand raised against the dangerous Srisaket Sor Rungvisai via TKO and versus Israel Gonzalez on points.
The American went down in weight from super flyweight to flyweight to take on Cristian Gonzalez for the vacant WBO belt, which he wore at the end of the fight by beating his opponent in a 12-round unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, Edwards, who won his first title in 2017 at the age of 21, started being noticed as a fighter with a big potential in his last bouts.
In 2021, he won the IBF flyweight title by defeating Moruti Mthalane on points. Some months later, he returned to the ring to face and defeat Jayson Mama, retaining the title in his first defense.
That fight gave him the confidence to keep winning as a champion and against dangerous opponents, and he kept his undefeated record against Muhammad Waseem, Felix Alvarado, and Andres Campos.
Rodriguez vs Edwards: who’s in the undercard?
Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs. Kevin Gonzalez
With a record of 11-1, Akhmadaliev is a heavy favorite going into the fight against Kevin Gonzalez. A 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, Akhmadaliev lost his IBF and WBA super bantamweight titles in a close split decision contest in April against Marlon Tapales.
Kevin Gonzalez is an undefeated Mexican boxer who will be looking for an upset, although he hasn’t faced the level of opposition that Akhmadaliev has.
Galal Yafai vs. Rocco Santomauro
A 2020 Olympic gold medallist, Galal Yafai (5-0, 4 KOs) will defend his WBC International Flyweight title against the American Rocco Santomauro (22-2 6 KOs).
In his last fight, Yafai faced and destroyed Tommy Frank to retain his WBC International flyweight title, while Santomauro lost a unanimous decision to Ricardo Rafael Sandoval.
Peter McGrail vs. Ja’Rico O’Quinn
Peter McGrail will take on Ja’Rico Quinn in a super bantamweight fight where the 27-year-old will be expected to get his hand raised.
McGrail, a 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 2019 European Games bronze medalist, last defeated Fran Mendoza via UD.
O’Quinn, a 2014 U.S. National Championship gold medalist who has only one loss in his record, outpointed Carlos Mujica in July to set up the fight vs. the Brit.
Arturo Popoca vs Carlos Mujica
The American Popoca and Carlos Mujica will go head-to-head in their eight-round super bantamweight clash.
Popoca is looking for his sixth win in 2023, where has emerged victorious before the fourth round in three of his last five bouts. Mujica has fought four times in 2023, winning two fights and losing the other two.
Junaid Bostan vs. Gordie Russ II
Bostan, an undefeated super welterweight fighter (7-0), turned pro in 2022 and defeated Corey McCulloch via TKO in his last fight, in October.
Like Bostan, Russ II is also undefeated, but he won all his fights by knockout. His last victim was Desmond Green, who hit the canvas and lost the clash last June.
Albert Gonzalez vs. Alexis Molina
The undefeated Albert Gonzalez (6-0) will share the ring with the Mexican Alexis Molina (8-2-1) in a fight where Chop Chop will be looking for his third knockout win as a pro.
Molina will try to bounce back from two consecutive losses to José Ángel García and Miguel Rosas.
Joe McGrail vs. Edgar Ortiz Jr.
In a featherweight bout, Joe McGrail is heavily favored to come out on top when he takes on Edgar Ortiz Jr.
The 21-year-old McGrail turned pro in 2021 and recorded a convincing TKO victory over Jake Pollard in his last fight.
Meanwhile, Ortiz (8-4-2) has been struggling more so far. He has lost three of his last four fights and he will need to completely be at his best if he wants to surprise the Liverpool native.