With 47 days to go until Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin meet for the third time face to face in the ring at the T-Mobile Arena, the line-up that will turn up the heat in Las Vegas has been finalised.
The big night of boxing on September 17 in an evening that will be shown live on DAZN PPV in the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand as well as around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan), will feature top-level bouts highlighted by the return of the dangerous super flyweight champion Jesse Rodriguez, as well as the participation of Gabriel Rosado and Diego Pacheco.
Jesse Rodriguez vs. Israel Gonzalez
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Three months since his last bout, Rodriguez will once again don the gloves to put his WBC crown on the line against Mexico's Israel "Jiga" Gonzalez. Bam returns with a great pace, having dismantled two of the division's leading lights so far this February, first taking the vacant belt by defeating former champion Carlos Cuadras and then knocking out - and becoming the first to do so - Thailand's Srinsaket Sor Rungvisai.
"It's an honour to have the opportunity to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend, as the co-main event to Canelo-GGG is truly special and I plan to put on another spectacular performance and continue to build my legacy. Every fight is more important than the last. It's not just about winning, it's about how you win," Rodriguez said in a statement.
Gonzalez is an experienced Mexican with a record of 28-4-1 11 KOs and will be facing his fourth world opportunity after losses to the likes of Jerwin Ancajas, Khalid Yafai and Roman Gonzalez.
Ali Akhmedov vs. Gabriel Rosado
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Another duel that promises plenty of action will be the one between Kazakhstan's Ali Akhmedov, who will be looking to turn the page in a big way and put behind him - once and for all - the knockout loss he suffered to Carlos Gongora in 2020.
The fighter, who is 18-1 with 14 KOs, and who will be on a bill topped by Golovkin for the third time, chose as his opponent the dangerous puncher Gabriel Rosado and they will fight over 10 rounds.
"I'm looking forward to being part of one of the biggest shows of the year," said Rosado. "This is an opportunity to do what I did against Bektemir and put myself back on track for the world title."
Diego Pacheco vs. Enrique Collazo
Diego Pacheco will contest his first professional belt when he takes on Enrique Collazo for the WBC silver North American super middleweight title. Pacheco owns a record of 15-0 with 12 KOs and will be looking for his fifth knockout in a row.
Collazo, 33, of Puerto Rico, is coming off a disqualification loss to Jose Miguel Torres.