Matchroom Boxing Announces Four Summer Show To Be Streamed Live On DAZN

Press Release:

World rulers Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Richardson Hitchins face crunch clashes in the summer live worldwide on DAZN – as WBC and Ring Magazine king Bam faces WBO champion Phumelele Cafu in a blockbuster unification battle at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on July 19 and Hitchins makes the first defense of his IBF World Junior-Welterweight crown against former World ruler George Kambosos Jr at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 14.

Rodriguez (21-0 14 KOs) is back in action following a stellar 2024, where he followed his epic KO win over modern great Juan Francisco Estrada in a fight of the year contender in Phoenix in June to become a two-weight unified champion, and defended the titles for the first time in Philadelphia in November with a dominant three-round destruction of Pedro Guevara, and fights in his home state for the first time since he became a two-weight champion by beating Cristian Hernandez in his San Antonio hometown in April 2023.

Cafu (11-0-3 8 KOs) puts his belt on the line for the first time after taking the crown from Kosei Tanaka in Tokyo in October via split decision. ‘Truth’ now steps into one of the biggest fights in the game in just his second World championship bout, with the South African landing his belt in just his 14th pro-outing.

The first undercard bout to be announced on the Bam-Cafu show is a big one, with the co-feature of the night pitting LA Super-Middleweight sensation Diego Pacheco faces Trevor McCumby.

Pacheco (23-0 18 KOs) is closing in on his first World title shot, and the #1 contender with the WBO will be aiming to add another scalp to his resume following an impressive showing in Las Vegas where he saw off Steven Nelson.

McCumby (28-1 21 KOs) will have other ideas though as the Arizonan looks to get back on track for a World title tilt of his own. The 32 year old floored former World ruler Caleb Plant in the fourth round of their clash in Las Vegas in September, but Plant would stop McCumby in the ninth round to claim the interim WBA strap.

Hitchins (19-0 7 KOs) returns home to New York for the first defense of the title that he won with a clinical performance against Australian Liam Paro in Puerto Rico in December. The unbeaten 27 year old is back in the Big Apple for the first time since February 2023 where he dominated John Bauza, with his last two wins seeing his shut-out Jose Zepeda in Orlando in September 2023 before he set up his World title shot against Paro with victory in a final eliminator over Gustavo Lemos in Las Vegas last April.

Kambosos Jr (22-3 10 KOs) has very fond memories of the venue too, with the Australian returning to the scene of his greatest night, where he became the king at 140lbs by stunning Teofimo Lopez in November 2021. ‘Ferocious’ returned Down Under where he twice met Devin Haney in Melbourne before welcoming Vasiliy Lomachenko to Perth, with a victory over Maxi Hughes in Oklahoma. The 31 year old claimed the 22nd win of his pro career in March against Jake Wyllie in Sydney and will look to become a two-time World ruler against Hitchins.

Before two blockbuster nights in America, two shows hit DAZN at the end of May. There’s a mouthwatering World title fight in Yokohama, Japan as Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez and Masanori Rikiihsi clash for the vacant IBF World Super-Featherweight title at Yokohama Buntai, Yokohama on Wednesday May 28, live on DAZN in the UK, USA, Canada and throughout Europe.

Nunez (27-1 27 KOs) travels to the land of the Rising Sun for his first World title fight, as the Mexican knockout merchant and IBF #1 locks horns with Rikiishi (16-1 11 KOs) who himself is on a five-straight KO win tear.

Three days later, Matchroom return to Mexico on Friday May 30 as Manuel Gallegos and Khalil Coe clash in a rematch for the WBC USA Light-Heavyweight title at Arena Alcalde in Guadalajara, live worldwide on DAZN.

Gallegos (21-2-1 18 KOs) and Coe (9-1-1 7 KOs) first met in November in Philadelphia where the Mexican ripped the title from the New Jersey talent with a ninth-round stoppage, and they will tussle for the strap again next month, this time on the champions home turf.

Two hometown favorites are in action with Gabriel Valenzuela (30-4-1 17 KOs) fighting over ten rounds at Super-Lightweight and WBO Latino Bantamweight champion Christian Medina (24-4 17 KOs) kicking off the night on DAZN.