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.<\/p>\n
Inoue has taken some well-deserved time off following on from his career-best win over Junto Nakatani back in May, but \u2018The Monster\u2019 is keen to return to action in spring 2027, for an outing that many presumed would be against Rodriguez.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, \u2018Bam\u2019 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\u2019s 122lb crown.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, just days ago, \u2018The Monster\u2019 revealed that he is indeed preparing for a meeting with the 26-year-old southpaw, as per Source of Boxing<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 Naoya Inoue says he\u2019s preparing with Bam Rodriguez in mind for his next fight \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m preparing with Jesse \u2018Bam\u2019 Rodriguez in mind.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/dqu2VtCKNP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) October 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m preparing with Jesse \u2018Bam\u2019 Rodriguez in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Inoue has now said on X<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u30d0\u30e0\u3092\u30c0\u30e9\u30c0\u30e9\u5f85\u3064\u6c17\u306f\u306a\u3044\u304b\u3089\u30d5\u30a7\u30b6\u30fc\u7d1a\u306b\u884c\u304f\u6e96\u5099\u3082\u59cb\u3081\u308b\u3088\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffc<\/p>\n \u2014 \u4e95\u4e0a\u5c1a\u5f25 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) October 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to sit around waiting for Bam, so I\u2019m starting prep for featherweight too.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of which of the 126lb champions Inoue could face on his divisional debut, New York\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another option could come this Saturday, as fellow Japanese featherweight title hopeful Tomoki Kameda challenges for Brandon Figueroa\u2019s WBA crown<\/a>, so should he be successful, a tantalising all-Japanese featherweight world title affair may become Inoue\u2019s most obvious route to the throne.<\/p>\n Since his latest comments, \u2018Bam\u2019s promoter Eddie Hearn has taken to social media to respond, saying they are still willing and ready to make the fight happen.<\/p>\n