Credit to promoter Eddie Hearn. He wants the best for his fighters, and he believes Saturday’s IBF-WBO flyweight unification bout between Sunny Edwards and Jesse Rodriguez pits the two best fighters in the 112-pound division. 

Unfortunately, for Hearn and Edwards – The Ring’s No. 1 rated flyweight and defending IBF beltholder – Rodriguez’s WBO title-winning effort against Crisitan Gonzalez in April only earned him a No. 4 spot in the 112-pound rankings. Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) was previously ranked at junior bantamweight, where he held the WBC title in 2022.   

While some members of the Ring Ratings Panel – most notably former managing editor Tom Gray, as well as Yours Truly – believed the Edwards-Rodriguez match was worthy of the Ring Magazine championship the moment it was announced, the majority was in favor of keeping the flyweight title vacant until No. 1 faced No. 2, per the longstanding Championship Policy. 

Rules are rules, but what if the No. 2 contender seems to have no desire to face No. 1? What if Nos. 2 and 3 haven’t looked good in recent bouts or have failed to face solid opposition in recent bouts? These are the questions that Gray brought to the Panel once Edwards-Rodriguez found date and location (December 16, Glendale, Arizona), but he was rebuffed once again by the majority of the panelists. Gray tried again earlier this week – with the blessing of your favorite Editor-In-Chief – focusing on the inferior quality of Martinez’s next challenger Angelino Cordova. Martinez-Cordova was scheduled to be on the David Morrell-Sena Agbeko undercard on Saturday, but the bout was postponed due to Martinez’s visa issues, BoxingScene reported on Thursday. 

Given the turn of events, Hearn made a last-ditch appeal via his X account, but the Panel’s decision is final.

. @ringmagazine you’ve got 48 hours to do the right thing! There is not one person who doesn’t acknowledge Bam and Sunny as 1 and 2! It’s the best v the best exactly what your belt is all about 🙏 https://t.co/q0gVpuMT2c

— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) December 14, 2023

I don’t know who’s going to take the time to read through this very lengthy transcript, but whoever you are – whether you agree or disagree with the decisions ultimately made by the Panel – please understand that we take this seriously – especially when it comes to The Ring championships. Sometimes the discussion becomes a debate that lasts for several days (or several weeks/months in the case of Edwards-Rodriguez). We don’t do anything lightly and we don’t make decisions for the sake of managers, promoters, networks, or other various boxing power brokers. 

It always comes back to the merit of the fighters, which is why keeping the Ring flyweight championship vacant was such a difficult decision to make.

RING RATINGS EXTRA:

Tom Gray: “I was speaking to Doug through the week and he thought it was worth running Bam vs. Edwards being for the vacant flyweight title past the Panel again because there’s been some moving parts since we last addressed it.

“Julio Cesar Martinez will now fight Angelino Cordova on the same night as Edwards vs. Bam (Dec. 16) on a different card. If you’ve never heard of Cordova, then I can shed some light on the challenger. He’s 28 years old with an 18-0-1 record and this will be his third time fighting outside of Venezuela. While 18-0-1 is a nice set of numbers, his opponents combine for a quite ludicrous 70-93-5 mark.

“The reason Cordova is getting a world title shot is because he scored a debatable upset win over [former 108-pound titleholder] Angel Acosta. The WBC have managed to rate him No. 13 at 112 pounds.

“Martinez’s previous two opponents were Ronal Batisa (15-2) and Samual Carmona (8-0). In fact, I put it to you that Martinez hasn’t scored a win over a world-rated opponent in years.

“Here’s one from our own rules:

Track Record: A fighter’s accomplishments in the recent past can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings. That includes quality of opposition.

“It’s time to remove Martinez as the No. 2-rated flyweight. The fact that a fighter with this track record, as well as a propensity for ducking our No. 1-rated flyweight, can stand in the way of a vacant Ring title fight is embarrassing.

“No. 1 vs. No. 3 is NOT unprecedented. Bam has always been a flyweight and has whipped elite-level ass at the weight ABOVE.

“I leave it with you and I’m pulling the bombproof rug over my head.”

Adam Abramowitz: “I see absolutely no reason to remove a fighter before he fights. And there is absolutely no precedent to do so. This smacks of an agenda.”

Gary: “So that’s despite this rule?

Track Record: A fighter’s accomplishments in the recent past can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings. That includes quality of opposition.

“You know who Martinez is fighting, right? Is Cordova a qualified challenger in your view? And what about the other two guys before that?

“Both Adonis Stevenson and Yoan Hernandez were stripped of their titles due to quality of opposition. If you can lose a title for not fighting adequate competition, then why can’t you lose a rating? His recent record has been absolutely hopeless.”

Abramowitz: “I see no reason to bend over backwards to break our rules or look for lane loopholes to try to do so. Sticking to our standards separates us from the arbitrary biases of the sanctioning bodies, who constantly play favorites, and routinely break their own rules for favoritism. That’s what this would be. 

Gray: “Adam, you always get my respect, but I don’t see how we’re bending over backwards by following one of our own rules.

“Cordova isn’t qualified, and neither was Batista or Carmona. When was the last time Martinez beat a world-rated opponent? Be honest.”

Abramowitz: “This is all contriving or manufacturing an outcome. Nos. 1 vs. 4 was deemed untenable by our Panel, and it should have been. It breaks our rules. So you want to demote one guy and skip over another guy to get a result you want. If you actually went through our rankings and started suggesting everyone we should demote for poor opposition then that’s one thing. But you haven’t. And it’s a terrible, slippery slope to do so, but you are only interested in breaking our rules for this particular division, so I think you don’t have a defensible position here.”

Gray: “I’m not contriving anything, Adam. We got an official fight date for Martinez at the end of November. I didn’t make the Cordova fight.

“And you seem very determined to follow one rule but not the other. That’s interesting and makes your position indefensible.

“If you want to go through the ratings with me to find similar scenarios, then I’m all for it. The bottom line is there’s a potential Ring title fight coming up and the EIC said we could take it to the panel again.

“And as much as you paint me up for being all for and that it’s agenda driven, you’re exactly the same in the opposite direction.

“It’s 1 up and 1 down.”

Abramowitz: “No, I have very good standing to reject a 1-vs.-4 matchup for the Ring belt. It’s something we have always done and we were right to do so.”

Gray: “OK, we’ll let everyone else duke it out.”

Abraham Gonzalez: “I would say to wait until they fight that night and we go into the New Year with an updated ratings that will hopefully get followed with a fight for the Ring title sometime next year.”

Editor-In-Chief: “I respect both Tom’s and Adam’s positions, as well as their convictions, and I welcome spirited debates on our rankings and our rules. In this instance, I firmly side with Tom, even though Rodriguez is our No. 4-rated flyweight.

“When Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Juan Franciso Estrada fought in February 2018, we bent (or broke) our rules by a very narrow vote and allowed the vacant Ring Magazine 115-pound title to be on the line even though they were our Nos. 2- and 3-rated junior bantamweights at the time (Naoya Inoue was our No. 1; but I pushed The Ring title to be on the line because I knew that The Monster was leaving the 115-pound division, even though he had yet to abdicate his WBO title at the time of Sor Rungvisai-Estrada).

“Getting back to Edwards-Rodriguez, it’s very simple to me: Our current No. 2- and No. 3-rated flyweights are not clearly superior to Rodriguez given their current activity and form. And unlike Martinez and Dalakian, Rodriguez is willing to unify world titles. Sunny and Bam have the spirit that Ring champions are made of.”

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Juan Estrada and The Ring Magazine junior bantamweight title. Photo by Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos / 360 Boxing Promotions

Abramowitz: “It’s just that Bam lacks the body of work and the pedigree WITHIN the division. That’s why we agreed to his No. 4 position. He literally just got to 112. We have never blessed a 1-vs.-4 fight for a Ring title since I’ve been doing this and I think there’s a good reason for that. In fact, it also has never even been suggested and I think there’s a reason for that too. Because we aren’t the WBC or the WBA. And I have been proud of this Panel for not being like that. That’s why our belt is different. Fighters have to EARN it. It should not be short-circuited.”

Gray: “I get your opinion, mate, and the two of us have a habit of going hammer and tongs when we think we’re in the right.

“The one part that you should be a bit more flexible on is the body of work at flyweight stuff. Bam has always been a flyweight. The fact that he trounced two stars at the weight ABOVE is fairly unique. Normally we’re reticent to make our minds up on a fighter who is moving up in weight because we don’t know if he can punch his weight or take a shot. That is not the case here. Bam has ripped guys at 115 and should be lauded for that, not penalized.

“Also the comparisons to governing bodies is a little misplaced. Governing bodies regularly make world title fights between guys that aren’t the best, but we don’t. You yourself have admitted that this is the ‘best fight in the division.’ If The Ring belt is for the best fighter, then I fail to see the need to keep it vacant (it’s been SEVEN YEARS) for the likes of Martinez, who is taking the absolute piss in terms of opposition, and Dalakian, who is as active as a corpse. These guys aren’t remotely interested in fighting the best, and Martinez has ducked Edwards for years.

“I just find it a bit disheartening. And if neither Bam or Edwards end up fighting for a Ring title in their career because of this, then I’ll always struggle to justify not putting the title at stake. And I truly believe the vast majority of fans are of the same opinion.

“It should also be noted that both Canelo and Oscar Valdez were allowed to contest vacant Ring titles after coming off PED fails and being unranked. This was because both guys were facing the best fighters in their respective divisions. Edwards and Bam are the best flyweights in the world.”

Brian Harty: “I’m torn because it seems like the majority of the panel thinks it’s THE fight. So either way we go it comes with an admission that we simply got it wrong. Either we make an exception and they fight for the belt or we don’t because it’s outside of our rules – but why would we do that when it’s recognized as the fight that would crown a worthy champion?

“The case you guys have laid out for the exception is great and I personally think it should be a Ring title fight. But it’s not a Ring title fight. Like Adam said, ‘If you actually went through our rankings and started suggesting everyone we should demote for poor opposition then that’s one thing.’ And if the rules need reform, then that’s another thing. I think that discussion should happen and that it should include things like regular ratings audits that allow for reevaluations and also expanding the policy for filling vacancies to the top 5. (The fact that our policy page doesn’t include ‘he or she’ and ‘him or her’ five years after we started awarding women’s championships is one sign of neglect.)

“The ‘a factor to determine his place in the ratings’ rule is all about how we got to where things stand going into a fight, and unfortunately for Bam-Edwards the time for that has passed. If positions can be changed right before a fight, then our process is meaningless, and this one doesn’t fall within our current guidelines. So I agree with Adam that any change needs to be system-wide and not come at a time when we’re being pressured by promoters and fighters’ camps to make exceptions. We apply rules to situations, not the other way around, and protecting that integrity is paramount.

“All that being said, I still think it’s the best fight. I’m not sure it’s worth the hit to our reputation, though. It’s either their legacy, like Tom said, or it’s our principles. I lean toward the latter, and I kinda think we need to accept the mistake, go down with the ship on this one and then kick off the reform inspired by this situation. But I agree that it would be a shame not to let the vacancy be filled. 

“It’s ultimately your decision, Doug, and I don’t envy the choice. I’ll defend it either way. One thing about Estrada-Rungvisai, though: I remember that situation and the exception being made specifically because of Inoue’s imminent departure – so I don’t think it’s really applicable.

“There was discussion back then about removing him, but we treated it like not removing a fighter from a current division until he actually fights in the new one, even though a fight has been announced.

“Probably another ‘could’ve’ situation where we weren’t so consistent with the rules.

Anson Wainwright: “Well said Brian.

“Bam didn’t look great in his first [significant] fight at the weight and came in at No. 4. As much as I love this fight, I think we’d look awful changing our rules to suit us. This is for others to do. If we decide to change rules we should do it at year end and look at implementing it from then not now.”

Daisuke Sugiura: “I personally don’t see the argument. Again, Bam just had ONE title fight at this weight against a good but not a great opponent and he wasn’t as impressive with a broken jaw and all that. It’s all about resume, and I don’t think his is much better than Martinez’s yet, to be honest. 

“I understand the frustration. We won’t have a Ring champ for awhile because Martinez and Dalakian are not willing to unify. This is ‘the best fight,’ yes, but we still won’t look good making an exception. It would look like a forced attempt after the WBC president said a few things about The Ring.”

Gray: “Bam was a flyweight who took a title opportunity at the weight above and beat two world-class super flyweights. I find it astonishing that we’re going out of our way to scratch that off the board. For what? Three pounds? UP THE WAY!

“And can we please stop mentioning sanctioning organizations? The WBC have just sanctioned a title fight between Martinez and a kid with 16 of 18 wins over opponents with losing records (which no one has addressed yet BTW). The WBC aren’t in a position to lace our boots in terms of ratings or title fights. Where did this even come from? The Ring is synonymous with the best fighting the best and that’s what Bam vs. Edwards is.

“And all the emphasis on us looking bad if we make it a title fight? The Ring has been publicly lambasted because Bam vs. Edwards is not being contested for the vacant title. There’s been articles and videos dragging the panel through the mud. The fact that the belt has been vacant for seven years borders on insanity when we have this fight in the offing. In fact, take the case to the people, like we did with Canelo vs. GGG 2, and see what you get back. Everyone knows what that decision would be… unanimous.

“Brian makes the point in that we don’t make it a title fight and essentially admit we ballsed it up. I get it, but I personally think a fighter’s legacy is worth more than us admitting a mistake. And I also believe the fans would be more in favor of us fixing it than rolling with the error.

“Martinez is a straight up joke without a win over a world class opponent in this decade. Dalakian has been in a cryogenic chamber for five years. Weigh it!”

Bam Rodriguez’s eight-round stoppage of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai was one of the best performances of 2022. Photo by Melina Pizano/ Matchroom

Harty: “I want to switch out ‘making a mistake’ for Daisuke’s word ‘frustrating.’ It’s not a mistake, it’s just where our process got us, and it’s a good process even if the results are frustrating. I was trying to say that it’s essentially admitting a flaw in our system both ways, if the majority indeed thinks it’s the best fight. Either our process is flawed in getting us to the current rankings or our rules are flawed for not letting the fight happen. If I’m misrepresenting the majority, then it’s moot. 

“But flaws should be fixed, and I do think some changes in the system should happen. We know why the title has been vacant so long – a 1-vs.-2 matchup has become a unicorn – and if this is the event that forces some self-examination, then I have to admit that there’s no real difference in doing it before or after this fight, and we might let a worthy fight slip through if we don’t do it before. I wouldn’t want stubbornness to be the thing that prevents that. I honestly don’t know, Tom. It’s a real catch-22 – the public should be confident that the Ring belt is worn by the true champion, but that confidence is based on the fact that we follow our rules.

Gray: “I’ve thrown in the white towel on this one, although it is drenched in flyweight blood. Obviously, with everything I’ve said, I can’t say that I agree with the decision. And I personally don’t think it’ll age well.

“For me, it would have been best to put the vacant title on the line and explained the multitude of reasons why that decision makes sense.

“With all that said, there’s a Panel for a reason, and there’s enough people on here whose opinions I respect to let it go.

Sugiura: “Well, I was thinking again since last night, starting to shift a little bit. Pretty much everyone, including me, thinks this is ‘the fight,’ then that might be, should be, the most important thing, although I still think Bam at No. 4 is appropriate because of his lack of resume at 112. 

“The rules are rules, you know. I’m from the most organized country in the world lol, but I agree with Brian that a change of system is probably needed, preferably at the end of the year than now. I also agree with expanding the policy for filling vacancies to the top 5 (with approval from the Panel). 

“I’m still relatively new here, learning the process every week. Thanks everyone for an interesting discussion.”

Diego Morilla: “Just re-read this whole thing.

“I find myself in agreement with most of Brian’s thoughts here. And I also do believe that this is THE fight that should crown our new champ.

“I would go with a provocative idea: do not remove or demote Martinez (that’s NEVER a good look, regardless of the rationale behind it) and then let’s call this a championship bout between 1-and-4. Write an extensive article detailing the rationale behind this. There’s plenty of blame to be placed on the system for not allowing or facilitating Dalakian-Edwards-Martinez in any possible combination. Use that too. And not just to use it as cover, use it because IT’S TRUE.

“I think I did vote against it the first time, but there’s always room for change, and we can always improve our system as well. Criticizing the sanctioning bodies for being too flexible and then being too rigid ourselves in response probably is the right call most of the time, but not not a perfect call all the time.

“I’ve been following this situation on social media, and I predict not only very little backlash but rather a lot of support from people who feel this is definitely a championship fight. Let’s do it and let’s hope they give us a fight worthy of the title we’re trying to put on the line for them.”

Sunny Edwards solidified his No. 1 ranking with his IBF title defense against dangerous Felix Alvarado. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

Tris Dixon: “Ferocious debate. I’m scoring it 10-10 so the title stays where it is, on the shelf.

“This is worthy of The Ring belt, I have no doubt. But the rules are the rules, although modification doesn’t hurt anyone – as noted by Brian – but a U-Turn is pretty embarrassing, we would never hear the end of it, even if Doug is on board and cool with it (and fair play for that, Doug).

“We are in a situation now if we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. If we flip-flop now, we would get flak from both sides! 

“If there was a vote to give this special consideration as a #1 v #4, forcing such a precedent, I’d be torn, but it could also be a positive change for introducing extenuating circumstances, and I’d tentatively support it. The problem is, we’ve already shown our hand and to go in the other direction is highly contradictory.

“I appreciate both sides. The fan in me sides with Tom. The editor in me sides with Adam.” 

And with that note from Mr. Dixon, this debate is closed.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter and IG at @dougiefischer, and join him, Tom Loeffler, Coach Schwartz and friends via Tom’s or Doug’s IG Live most Sundays.

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