Naoya Inoue is set for an iconic battle with Junto Nakatani this weekend, in what will be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. Following that potentially legacy-defining bout, ‘The Monster’ wants another major match-up.
Inoue has ruled in four weight divisions and had been linked with a featherweight debut if successful in defending his undisputed super-bantamweight crown against Nakatani on Saturday.
However, the 32-year-old has revealed that his clash with Nakatani will be his penultimate one at 122lbs, with plans to stick around for one more fight in the division despite appearing to have cleaned it out.
As a result, rumours have emerged that Inoue could take on unified super-flyweight champion and fellow pound-for-pound star, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez – who debuts as a bantamweight against Antonio Vargas in June – before moving to featherweight and out of the Texan’s reach.
In a game of ‘yes or no’ with DAZN Boxing, Inoue confirmed his interest in a showdown with Rodriguez and confidently forecasted that he would come out on top against the undefeated 26-year-old southpaw.
“Yes, [I would love to fight Jesse Rodriguez].”
“[Would I beat him?] Yes.”
Rodriguez will become a three-division champion if able to trump Vargas on Saturday, June 13, but he would usurp Inoue as the pound-for-pound king if he were to hand the Japanese sensation a first career defeat – providing Nakatani doesn’t do it this coming Saturday at the Tokyo Dome.
‘Bam’ Rodriguez has also expressed his interest in the fight, saying he would take it without hesitation should it present itself. With boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh close to both men, it might just.
