There is still a junior flyweight title at stake this weekend, though no longer for Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.

A new opponent is in place for San Antonio’s Rodriguez, who will now face Jose Alejandro Burgos this Saturday on DAZN from Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California. The bout serves in supporting capacity to the return of Rodriguez’s training stablemate, former four-division titlist Mikey Garcia who faces Spain’s Sandor Martin atop the telecast.  

Rodriguez (13-0, 9KOs) was originally due to face WBA “World” junior flyweight titlist Esteban Bermudez in one of two scheduled title fights on the show, both in the 108-pound division. The other remains intact as WBO champ Elwin Soto makes a mandatory title defense versus Puerto Rico’s Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez.

Matchroom Boxing confirmed the opponent switch on Monday, though without offering a reason.

The likelihood is the inability to have the WBA approve the contest as a title fight. As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, Bermudez—who won the secondary belt in a stunning sixth-round upset knockout of unbeaten Carlos Canizales this past May—was ordered to enter a title consolidation clash with unbeaten WBA “Super” junior flyweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi, as part of the sanctioning body’s continued effort to reduce its number of titlists.

The news means that Rodriguez will have to wait at least one more fight for his first title shot, though it doesn’t change the mission this weekend.

“Goal remains the same, win,” stated Rodriguez, who arrived with Garcia and the rest of the team—including head trainer Robert Garcia—Monday in Fresno.

Burgos (18-4-1, 15KOs) suffered a loss in his most recent start, a ten-round decision to Saleto Henderson in a regional flyweight title fight this past June in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The 26-year-old from Los Angeles by way of Baja California, Mexico was 6-1-1 in his previous eight starts, the lone loss coming to Rodriguez’s older brother and stablemate Joshua Franco, who is now a secondary WBA junior bantamweight titlist.

Rodriguez has not fought since last December, looking sensational in a second-round knockout of former title challenger Saul ‘Baby’ Juarez. The win was the fifth straight inside the distance for the 21-year-old southpaw who has yet to be extended beyond the eighth round.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox