The WBC announced its decision Tuesday after Rodriguez, The Ring’s No. 4-ranked fighter pound-for-pound, said he won’t move back down to 115 pounds. Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) will look to become a three-division champion when he challenges WBA bantamweight champ Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday night in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream worldwide from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

“Following the official announcement of undefeated American boxer Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodríguez moving up in weight, the World Boxing Council formally declares the organization’s world super flyweight championship vacant,” the WBC announced on its website. “The WBC expresses its most sincere gratitude to Rodríguez for being a dignified and proud ambassador of the Green and Gold colors, wishing him the absolute best of success in his career.”

Rodriguez, 26, will also relinquish his Ring, WBA and WBO 115-pound championships.

If Rodriguez emerges victorious Saturday, he hopes it’ll set the stage for an eventual showdown against The Ring’s No. 1-ranked fighter pound-for-pound, Naoya Inoue, later this year or in early 2027.

Rodriguez has twice held the WBC 115-pound title. He first won it when he stepped up as a late replacement and beat Carlos Cuadras by unanimous decision to win the then-vacant belt in 2022.

After defending the belt twice, the San Antonio native moved down to 112 pounds for two fights and became a unified champion in 2023. Rodriguez moved back up to 115 pounds in June 2024 and stopped Juan Francisco Estrada in the seventh round to become the Ring 115-pound champion and claimed the WBC super flyweight title for a second time.

The dynamic southpaw went on to become a unified champion at 115 pounds, stopping Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez in 2025 to respectively claim the WBO and WBA titles.