Boxing's key storylines: What's next for 'Tank' Da...

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez moved up in weight and made quick work of Antonio Vargas on Saturday to win the WBA bantamweight title and become a three-division champion. Now comes the bigger question: Is he ready to move up again for a megafight against undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue, or would that be too much, too soon? WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis has been out of the ring since March 2025, in part because of legal issues. However, a proposed fight for late August could finally bring the three-division champion back into action. Another fighter who has been sidelined is WBA welterweight champion Rolando "Rolly" Romero. Since his upset win against Ryan Garcia in May 2025, Romero has been linked to fights with Manny Pacquiao, Devin Haney and a rematch with Garcia, but nothing has materialized. Now, a unification fight could be in the works for his return. Many other top fighters have fights secured already for this year, but which is the best matchup currently in the boxing schedule? Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson weigh in on these topics. Is this the right time to make Naoya Inoue vs. Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez? Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn told ESPN last week that it would be hard to not push forward with a proposed superfight between the undisputed junior featherweight champion and ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Inoue, and No. 3-ranked Rodriguez if Rodriguez was impressive in his 118-pound debut. Rodriguez was nothing short of outstanding in his sixth-round stoppage of Vargas. The bump up in weight didn't seem to affect his performance in any negative fashion. Instead, Rodriguez appeared stronger in dropping Vargas hard in the fourth round before finishing the fight with a beautiful straight left hand at the end of a four-punch combination in Round 6. Trainer Robert Garcia had suggested that Rodriguez could take another fight at 118 pounds, likely against WBO titleholder Christian Medina, as he continues to build up Rodriguez for a potential move to 122 pounds. Inoue has discussed a potential move to featherweight, however, and 126 pounds would likely put a fight with Rodriguez out of reach. So the timing is now perfect to make the fight. Hearn has his reservations about Rodriguez taking a fight while Inoue is deciding on a weight class. "Robert and 'Bam' will have a decision to make because maybe an October or November defense will derail the chance of the fight with Inoue happening," Hearn told ESPN, citing that Inoue isn't too keen to wait for his next assignment. The reservations from the Garcia and Rodriguez side are understandable. They beat Vargas, who isn't recognized as a big puncher and had been dropped in two of his past three fights before being finished by Rodriguez. Inoue is a different "Monster" entirely with concussive power and exceptional skills. Inoue would almost certainly test Rodriguez's punch resistance, and Garcia may be right in not rushing his charge into a fight just because the public demands it. But there is an undeniable appetite for it and, as Rodriguez said in his postfight interview, he doesn't back down from any challenge. "I'm ready for whoever, whenever," he said after collecting his sixth consecutive stoppage. "Put them in front of me, and I'm going to say yes." -- Hale Could Gervonta "Tank" Davis face Floyd "Kid Austin" Schofield in his return? The return of "Tank" Davis is beginning to take shape, with the undefeated star being linked to a fight with "Kid Austin" Schofield later this year. The WBA recently named Davis a "champion in recess" and has ordered him to face Schofield. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Scholfield, appears to be keen on making the fight happen, potentially in the third quarter of 2026, and the two sides have been given a deadline of Monday to make a deal before the fight goes to a purse bid. If they cannot come to an agreement, Schofield would be named the new champion. Sources have told ESPN that there is interest from both sides in making a showdown between the two power-punching lightweights this year, but there is one significant hurdle that has yet to be cleared: Davis' legal issues. Davis is wanted by law enforcement in Maryland after allegedly violating his probation when he was arrested in Miami in January on allegations of domestic violence. According to the Baltimore County court database, there is an active warrant for Davis' arrest that was issued on April 24. Davis' attorneys filed a motion to recall the warrant, but that motion was denied on May 22. Davis hasn't fought since his controversial majority draw with Lamont Roach Jr. in March 2025. He was slated to face Jake Paul in November but was pulled after Davis was accused of domestic violence in a civil lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel.. He was arrested on Jan. 14 on charges of battery, false imprisonment and attempted kidnapping. As for the potential fight with Schofield, it's an intriguing showdown that would match Davis against a hard-hitting opponent who is eager to make a name for himself. Schofield, 23, is coming off a first-round KO victory over former champion Tevin Farmer in June 2025. It's possible that Davis' promoter, TGB, and Golden Boy are able to come to an agreement to schedule the fight for later this year, but if Davis doesn't clear up his legal issues and/or ends up in jail, we may have to wait even longer for his return to boxing. -- Hale Where's Rolando "Rolly" Romero? Romero, the WBA welterweight champion, hasn't fought since stunning Ryan Garcia in May 2025 in New York's Times Square. Since then, he's been tied to fights with Manny Pacquiao, Devin Haney and a Garcia rematch, but, for one reason or another, those fights haven't materialized. After dropping Garcia in Round 2 en route to a wide unanimous decision win to disrupt plans of a Haney-Garcia rematch, Romero waited, waited and waited for a call. It initially appeared Romero's next fight would be against Pacquiao following the Filipino superstar's controversial majority draw against Mario Barrios in July 2025. Pacquiao's longtime advisor, Sean Gibbons, told ESPN last October that a fight with Romero was likely to take place in early 2026. However, the fight didn't materialize, and Pacquiao pressed for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather instead. There were rumblings of a rematch with Garcia that were also shuttered. Garcia went on to beat Barrios to win the WBC welterweight title and has been more interested in a fight with Conor Benn than the Romero rematch. A unification fight with Haney was also on the table, but negotiations publicly fell apart with each side blaming the other for the talks breaking down. A source told ESPN that Romero wasn't to blame for those fights falling through and he has been patiently waiting for his next assignment, which could take place as soon as August. It's strange to see Romero pull off such a significant upset over a year ago and be unable to land another fight, but that's where we've been. He remains one of the more entertaining characters in boxing with a style that lends itself to excitement. And as a world champion, you would think that it wouldn't be this difficult to secure a fight. With the names he was previously tied to all being wrapped up in negotiations with other opponents, Romero could find himself defending his title against WBA "regular" titleholder Jack Catterall, who defeated Shakhram Giyasov last month. -- Hale What's the best fight in the boxing schedule? Two of boxing's biggest names -- Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua -- have fights on the calendar, but the most competitive matchup and the one I'm looking forward to most is Mikaela Mayer vs. Chantelle Cameron. Joshua can set up a long-awaited clash with English rival and fellow former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury if he wins a nontitle bout in Saudi Arabia on July 25 against little-known Kristian Prenga, who has boxed nowhere near the elite level. Canelo has a harder assignment on Sept. 12 but is still widely expected to win back a world title when he challenges WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli, also in Saudi Arabia. What is harder to call is who wins the matchup between two of the best boxers in the women's game, where Cameron's WBO junior middleweight title and Mayer's WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles will be on the line in Birmingham, England, on Aug. 29. Cameron, ESPN's No. 5-ranked pound-for-pound women's boxer, had been chasing a trilogy bout with Katie Taylor, but the Irishwoman will instead have her farewell fight against Flora Pili.But Cameron vs. Mayer sees two reigning world champions of equal experience meet at the prime of their boxing careers. Cameron moved up two weight classes to beat Michaela Kotaskova for the vacant WBO junior middleweight belt in April and is the only fighter to beat Taylor (a decision in May 2023). Mayer, ranked No. 7 on ESPN's pound-for-pound list, won the WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles in October with a unanimous decision over Mary Spencer and has also won world titles at welterweight and junior lightweight. Mayer is perhaps the more polished boxer, while Cameron possesses the more explosive power. Mayer will try to dictate behind her educated, long jab, but Cameron, as she showed against Taylor, has shown she can disrupt technical boxers with her pressure fighting. It's hard to predict a winner in probably the best matchup in women's boxing this year. -- Parkinson