Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez Names the One Fighter He Must Face Before Retiring

'Bam' will not let himself go without fighting Naoya Inoue in his career

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (left) with trainer Robert Garcia (right). | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Jesse Rodriguez has made his long-term plans known for a while, and he is sticking to them after knocking out Antonio Vargas to become a three-division champion.

‘Bam’ took the WBA bantamweight title from Vargas with a sixth-round knockout on Saturday night. He has plans to unify that belt with the division’s three other champions, but the big picture has not changed. Rodriguez’s ultimate goal remains a fight with the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Naoya Inoue.

“Money is important, but legacy is important as well,” Rodriguez said after beating Vargas. “I feel like I can’t retire without fighting Inoue.”

BAM VS THE MONSTER 🔥

Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez says his legacy is not complete without a showdown against Naoya Inoue 👑 pic.twitter.com/8KdR84u3k7

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) June 14, 2026

Rodriguez’s move up to 118 pounds puts him one division closer to Inoue, the undisputed 122-pound champion. ‘The Monster’ defended those titles with a unanimous decision win over Junto Nakatani in May. The win allowed him to move up to No. 1 in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings, surpassing Oleksandr Usyk.

With Rodriguez sitting at No. 4 on Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings and No. 3 on ESPN's, a matchup with Inoue is the highest pound-for-pound matchup that can currently be made.

Jesse Rodriguez on a collision course with Naoya Inoue

Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue | IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

While the plan was for Inoue and Nakatani to headline a massive fight card in Japan for years, the big picture has always seemingly involved Rodriguez. Immediately after Inoue’s win over Nakatani, Turki Alalshikh revealed he wanted to see the pound-for-pound star defend his titles against ‘Bam’ next.

Rodriguez, who then held two super flyweight titles, first had to move up and fight Vargas at 118 pounds. The 26-year-old recently said he intends to fight Inoue’s younger brother, WBC bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue, before moving up again to face the final boss. Takuma Inoue notched his first title defense against Kazuto Ioka on the Inoue-Nakatani undercard.

Assuming Rodriguez targets another fight at 118 pounds following his win over Vargas, Naoya Inoue’s immediate future remains unknown. The 33-year-old has openly spoken about his upcoming retirement in the last year, suggesting he might be content to sit and wait for Rodriguez.

However, if it is not Takuma Inoue, Rodriguez is targeting a unification bout with either IBF bantamweight champion Jose Salas Reyes or WBO titleholder Christian Medina. Either way, ‘Bam’ will likely find himself competing for another belt in his next fight.