Hall of Famer Erik Morales has revealed his prediction for a potential showdown between Naoya Inoue and Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, favouring one man to triumph with superior intelligence.
Like the Mexican great, Inoue is a four-division world champion and, arguably, has cemented himself as the sport’s leading pound-for-pound operator.
He did, after all, claim a legacy-defining unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani, his domestic rival, while making a seventh defence of his undisputed super-bantamweight crown in May.
Many would therefore make the 33-year-old a slight favourite against Rodriguez, who completed his bantamweight debut by dethroning Antonio Vargas with a sixth-round knockout in June.
In doing so, the 26-year-old became a three-division world champion but is yet to compete at 122lbs, where Inoue is the physically superior and more experienced fighter.
Rodriguez, however, is a pound-for-pound talent in his own right and, according to head coach Robert Garcia, the American is eager to face ‘The Monster’ in March 2027.
If negotiations collapse, then Inoue may move up to featherweight and target one of the champions there, though it seems that a Tokyo showdown with ‘Bam’ represents his preferred option.
But while many would favour the Japanese star, Morales has told ESNEWS that he believes Rodriguez is capable of claiming a monumental victory on away soil.
“[I like] ‘Bam’ [to get the victory], because he’s more intelligent. He’s a great fighter. But, Inoue is very fast and explosive.”
While stopping short of finishing his explanation, it is clear that Morales, perhaps with a hint of Hispanic bias, feels Rodriguez has the superior boxing IQ to Inoue.
