June’s 5 best boxing fights, ranked: From Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez to Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis

I get it: June is a busy month for sports.

If it isn’t the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals or the FIFA World Cup grabbing your attention, then you’ll soon be into July and pencilling in the Toe Wrestling World Championships from inside a pub in Ashbourne, England. (You laugh, but I’ve actually interviewed the four-time champion Ben “Toe-tal Destruction” Woodroffe for a side project that I don’t want to talk about ever again.)

Advertisement

I digress — there is plenty of boxing action going on, too!

It may not be the most stacked of all months coming fresh out of a red-hot May, but there is a high chance we’ll close this month with one of the best fights of the year.

Let’s run down the top five fights coming up in June.

5. Jack Massey vs. Cheavon Clarke, 10 rounds, cruiserweight, June 6

We have a 50-50 all-British cruiserweight scrap at No. 5 as Jack Massey and Cheavon Clarke meet in Bournemouth, England, on the Zuffa Boxing 7 undercard.

Massey (23-3, 13 KOs) has been in the headlines in recent years, dropping high-profile losses to Richard Riakporhe, Joseph Parker and Jai Opetaia in pursuit of cruiserweight hardware — and a call from Dana White and the Zuffa gang could put him at the front of the queue for a fight with Saturday’s headliner: Chris Billam-Smith.

Advertisement

If Massey can get past Cheavon Clarke (11-2, 8 KOs) at the seaside venue, then he’ll be quick to push for a reunion with the “Gentleman,” a man Massey got the better of at amateur level.

But Clarke won’t be arriving down south to make up the numbers.

He’s dropped losses in two of his past three bouts to Viddal Riley and Leonardo Mosquea, but rebounded in December with a stoppage win over Anthony Hollaway.

Neither Massey nor Clarke are drinking in the Last Chance Saloon just yet, but either one could be reserving a table after defeat this weekend in Bournemouth.

4. Antonio Vargas vs. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 12 rounds for the WBA world bantamweight title, June 13

It’s pretty simple: If Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is fighting, then you are watching.

Advertisement

In a leap up to bantamweight, San Antonio’s two-division unified champion Rodriguez, (23-0, 16 KOs), challenges for the WBA’s secondary title against champion Antonio Vargas, (19-1-1, 11 KOs) in Glendale, Arizona.

Vargas, 29, might struggle to keep this competitive against the blistering attacks of Rodriguez, Uncrowned’s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer. He has touched the canvas in his past three fights and was fortunate to escape with a draw in a thrilling outing against Daigo Higa in Japan.

“Bam” Rodriguez, 26, is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet at the moment, so even if Vargas doesn’t play his part then this fight is still worth your full attention.

3. Lewis Crocker vs. Liam Paro, 12 rounds for the IBF world welterweight title, June 24

You can’t feel too sorry for Lewis Crocker.

Advertisement

He seems like the forgotten man of the welterweight division, but then again he is a world champion.

But since champions Rolly Romero, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia — and pretend champion Conor Benn — don’t want the Crocker smoke at 147 pounds, then he’ll have to travel Down Under for a heck of a first defense against Liam Paro (27-1, 16 KOs).

Crocker (22-0, 11 KOs) starts as an underdog against the Australian southpaw a long, long way from home, but that’s not to say this contest inside Australia’s Queensland Tennis Center won’t catch fire. Despite owning modest knockout records, both Crocker and Paro carry a mean punch and this one should be very competitive.

2. Arturo Cardenas vs. Jordan Martinez 2, 10 rounds, super bantamweight, June 13

The first time was so nice … they have to do it twice.

Advertisement

Well, it was nice for Arturo Cardenas (17-0-2, 9 KOs), who can consider himself fortunate to have escaped Glendale, Arizona, with his unbeaten record intact after a split draw meeting with Jordan Martinez in February.

Martinez (16-0-1, 15 KOs) — who was listed as a +375 underdog for their original super bantamweight bout — edged the 10-rounder in many onlookers’ eyes, telling promoter Eddie Hearn that “the crowd know who won” after they gave the 23-year-old a standing ovation.

Hearn signed Martinez straight after this bout and wasted no time in signing the rematch, back inside the Desert Diamond Arena on the Vargas-Rodriguez undercard.

After an enthralling, well-balanced 30 minutes of action the first time around, the bookmakers will struggle to separate these two as they run it back.

1. Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis, 12 rounds for the WBO & WBA world super welterweight titles, June 27

This is super welterweight perfection, and if we’re being honest, a fight that came as a bit of a pleasant surprise when it was announced earlier this year.

Advertisement

Both Xander Zayas (23) and Jaron Ennis (28) have the boxing world at their feet, but have decided to put their unbeaten records on the line against each other in a Brooklyn blockbuster at the end of the month.

Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) holds the hardware. The WBO and WBA world titles at 154 pounds were claimed by the proud Puerto Rican across his last two contests, moving him to 23-0 and making him the most decorated across boxing’s current crop of under-25 stars.

But such is the depth of the division, Zayas will need to go through “Boots” — who held the WBA and IBF titles at welterweight — if he is to jump to the top of the rankings at 154, with Sebastian Fundora and Vergil Ortiz Jr. also jostling for position.

“Boots” Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) has only fought one round at the weight — destroying the overmatched Uisma Lima inside one round last October — and has the opportunity to prove his hype if he dispatches Zayas.

Both men are already stars, but a superstar will be born on June 27.