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Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez Reveals Plan Targeting Both Inoue Brothers

Rodriguez will first have to successfully make his move to Bantamweight in pursuit of the Inoues
James Hicken|
Jesse Rodriguez
Jesse Rodriguez | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez has revealed his plan to set up a future mega-fight with pound-for-pound rival Naoya Inoue - and it's to beat his younger brother first.

The Texan superstar has thus far, in the build-up to his foray into the bantamweight division to take on WBA champion Antonio Vargas, deferred on questions about his Japanese rival and undefeated four-division champion, Inoue.

He seems laser-focused on extending his 20-fight undefeated streak and becoming a three-division world champion against Vargas. Hopefully, his fellow American can provide a stern challenge, as Rodriguez, in his career so far, has only ever won by stoppage or unanimous decision.

Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez
Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Bam reveals his plan

Fans have been asking for a fight between Inoue and Rodriguez for years now, as the two dominating forces in the lighter weight classes and two knockout machines. But Rodriguez, who is usually not outspoken on this, may well have dreamt up the perfect scenario for this fight.

"I think that’s a perfect storyline to the fight,” Rodriguez told The Ring. “Beating his brother (WBC bantamweight champion Takuma) first… I think that's like almost the perfect storyline to the Inoue fight, beating his brother first and then going and fighting the second brother.

“I know when that Inoue fight does happen, then the fans are in for a great night of boxing,” he continued. “People are already talking about that fight so much that it's inevitable at this point. And I feel like when the time comes, it's going to be a great fight, probably one of the best fights in boxing history.”

The elder Inoue, Naoya, is still fresh from his win over Junto Nakatani in defense of his undisputed super bantamweight titles, which was one of the biggest fights in boxing history and sold out the Tokyo Dome. He can therefore be forgiven for taking some time off. But there are rumors he might be looking at a move to featherweight soon, so Rodriguez needs to get his plan into action sooner rather than later, or he may miss his opportunity.

The younger Inoue, Takuma, also fought on the undercard of his brother's last fight, becoming the WBC bantamweight champion by outpointing Kazuto Ioka. The timing for a fight with the young American might line up if he makes it through Vargas with little to no damage. Then it could be both men's next fight before the big one in early 2027, which Rodriguez's coach, Robert Garcia, has said would be ideal timing for them.

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James Hicken
JAMES HICKEN

James started his journalism career in 2024 and has written about a variety of sports, including Boxing, MMA, tennis and Formula 1, but his expertise is in boxing. As a former boxer, he has been published with Boxing News and the Independent, where he worked as a boxing writer - covering breaking news, analysis, interviewing notable figures such as Amir Khan and reporting from ringside. James was born in Birmingham in the UK before a brief stint of his childhood in New Jersey, and then returned to the UK as a teenager to finish his education and gain a Bachelor's degree from Newcastle University. When he isn’t writing, James enjoys a round of golf with his friends or lacing up his gloves and trying to emulate the fighters he loves watching, like Vasiliy Lomachenko and David Benavidez.