Jesse Rodriguez team accepts Inoue deadline but wants one more fight

Naoya Inoue has given a potential meeting with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez until the first quarter of 2027, when he plans to leave 122 pounds if it has not been made. Rodriguez’s camp accepts the deadline, but trainer-manager Robert Garcia says no one from Inoue’s side has opened talks and wants one more bout at 118 pounds.

Garcia has expressed frustration at the lack of direct communication between the two teams. He said the Rodriguez camp is not seeking to delay the proposed fight, despite preferring for the San Antonio fighter to have another bantamweight contest before moving up.

Inoue is the undisputed super-bantamweight champion and recently made the seventh successful defence of his crown. The Japanese fighter retained all four titles in May by earning a unanimous decision over fellow Japanese boxer Junto Nakatani.

The victory strengthened Inoue’s standing at the top of the 122-pound division and among the leading pound-for-pound fighters. He has indicated that he will not remain at super-bantamweight indefinitely while waiting for Rodriguez, with a move to featherweight planned if the bout is not arranged during the opening three months of 2027.

Rodriguez entered the bantamweight division in June and immediately captured a world title. He stopped WBA champion Antonio Vargas in the sixth round, becoming a three-division world champion in the process.

Despite the attention around a possible Rodriguez-Inoue fight, there have been no confirmed negotiations between the teams. Garcia has identified WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina as the preferred opponent for Rodriguez in November, ahead of a possible move to 122 pounds and a challenge to Inoue.