Naoya Inoue is arguably boxing’s pound-for-pound number one, but the United States has a contender on the up in Jesse Rodriguez, who could potentially collide with Inoue down the line. Now, two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter has offered his thoughts on that potential super fight.
Inoue is one of three fighters to have reigned as an undisputed champion in multiple weight divisions during the four-belt era, maintaining a 32-fight undefeated record whilst dominating at both bantamweight and super-bantamweight.
In May, the four-division conqueror is anticipated to take on his toughest test to date, linked to a historic Japanese showdown with fellow pound-for-pound star, Junto Nakatani, in a difficult defence of the undisputed crown at 122lbs.
There is suddenly another potential threat to ‘The Monster’, with ‘Bam’ Rodriguez seeking to become the first undisputed champion in the history of the super-flyweight division before potentially accelerating through the divisions in a similar fashion.
Currently, Rodriguez holds three of the four belts at 115lbs, whilst Mexico’s Willibaldo Garcia Perez is in possession of the remaining IBF super-flyweight strap that ‘Bam’ will target before a move to bantamweight, which will move him closer to the Japanese phenomenon.
Speaking on The PorterWay Podcast, Shawn Porter admitted that he favours Inoue against his fellow American, believing both the age and size gap to be too wide for the 26-year-old Rodriguez to hand 32-year-old Inoue a first career defeat.
“I am inclined to favour Inoue in this fight, event though I haven’t seen as much of Inoue as I have seen from Bam, but the reason why I favour him is because of the age gap and the size gap.
“That [gap] is big for the little guys and Inoue is a monster. I think that Inoue would be the favourite in the betting odds and it’s a hell of a fight but I feel like there is a gap there. There is a gap there that I don’t like [for Rodriguez].”
Many in the sport have agreed, although others are keen to see the fight happen. Trainer Robert Garcia has responded positively, saying that his charge Rodriguez will be ready for the fight in the future.
It is understood that Inoue will take on Nakatani on Saturday, May 2, at the Tokyo Dome, as he seeks a seventh defence of the undisputed super-bantamweight throne.
