As 2027 approaches, one of the most in-demand fights in the sport is an undisputed super-bantamweight title showdown between pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue and three-weight world champion Jesse Rodriguez, but it now appears as though the proposed event is in serious jeopardy.
Inoue has taken some well-deserved time off following on from his career-best win over Junto Nakatani back in May, but ‘The Monster’ is keen to return to action in spring 2027, for an outing that many presumed would be against Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, ‘Bam’ has moved up to bantamweight and captured the WBA world title, but his trainer Robert Garcia made it clear that he wants another fight at 118lbs before moving up again and challenging for Inoue’s 122lb crown.
As of yet, there is no confirmed fight date for a mooted meeting between Rodriguez and fellow bantamweight titleholder Christian Medina (WBO), but the duo are expected to collide in either December or January, despite Inoue threatening to move on from Rodriguez if the American is not ready to fight him in March.
Still, just days ago, ‘The Monster’ revealed that he is indeed preparing for a meeting with the 26-year-old southpaw, as per Source of Boxing.
🚨 Naoya Inoue says he’s preparing with Bam Rodriguez in mind for his next fight 👀
“Yes, I’m preparing with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in mind.” pic.twitter.com/dqu2VtCKNP
— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) October 10, 2026
“Yes, I’m preparing with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in mind.”
However, Inoue has now said on X that he is unwilling to sit around and wait for Rodriguez, instead stating that he has begun to prepare for a move into the featherweight division. This comment was perhaps motivated by Garcia recently suggesting April or May for the fight.
バムをダラダラ待つ気はないからフェザー級に行く準備も始めるよ👆🏼
— 井上尚弥 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) October 13, 2026
“I’m not going to sit around waiting for Bam, so I’m starting prep for featherweight too.”
In terms of which of the 126lb champions Inoue could face on his divisional debut, New York’s Bruce Carrington (WBC) would make the most sense for a stateside appearance, whilst Inoue has also previously mentioned IBF titleholder Angelo Leo as an option.
Another option could come this Saturday, as fellow Japanese featherweight title hopeful Tomoki Kameda challenges for Brandon Figueroa’s WBA crown, so should he be successful, a tantalising all-Japanese featherweight world title affair may become Inoue’s most obvious route to the throne.
Since his latest comments, ‘Bam’s promoter Eddie Hearn has taken to social media to respond, saying they are still willing and ready to make the fight happen.
