Naoya Inoue wants Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez to go straight into an undisputed super bantamweight showdown with him instead of taking one more fight at 118 pounds.
Inoue made the comments to reporters in Japan at a Tokyo exhibition marking his May win over Junto Nakatani, BoxingScene reported. Asked about his next fight, he gave a target month.
It will likely be around March of next year,” Inoue said through a translator.
BoxingScene also reported that Inoue did not seem keen on Rodriguez fighting WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina so close to a potential meeting between the two. Rodriguez, who won the WBA bantamweight title by stopping Antonio Vargas in June, and trainer Robert Garcia have said they want another fight at 118 before moving up, with Medina the preferred opponent. Eddie Hearn named Inoue against Rodriguez his dream fight last month.
The timing is still a sticking point. BoxingScene reported that Hearn has said Rodriguez would be ready for February or March, while Garcia has leaned toward April or May. Inoue’s promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, has ruled that out and says plans are for March.
Inoue said on October 13 that he would not sit around waiting for Rodriguez and had started preparing for a move to featherweight too. Brandon Figueroa has said he is open to a fight with Inoue at 126 pounds. No date for Inoue against Rodriguez has been announced.