Naoya Inoue vs Bam Rodriguez: Eddie Hearn says ‘let’s just make it happen’

On May 2, at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision to remain the undisputed super bantamweight champion. It was a slow opening few rounds, and Inoue stayed the busier, which was key for him to get the victory. After Inoue’s latest title defence, The Ring soon reported that Turki Alalshikh was planning Naoya Inoue vs Bam Rodriguez. Eddie Hearn has now weighed in on the potential super bantamweight showdown.

Naoya Inoue defeats Junto Nakatani in Tokyo

It was a closely fought first few rounds, with Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) the busier of the two. The tempo from both increased in the middle rounds, with Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs) starting to land some heavy punches and drag himself back into the fight. A clash of heads in the tenth seemed to curtail Nakatani’s late charge, with Inoue winning many of the exchanges in the final two rounds to stay on top. The judges’ scorecards read 116-112 (x2) and 115-113, all in favour of Naoya Inoue, who remains the undisputed super bantamweight champion.

Naoya Inoue vs Bam Rodriguez: Eddie Hearn has his say

The report from Mike Coppinger stated that Turki Alalshikh is targeting a “super fight” between Inoue and Bam (23-0, 16 KOs). The aim is for them to meet for The Ring’s super bantamweight championship in January in Japan, with a venue to be decided. A special edition Ring Magazine belt will be designed for the super fight. Bam will need to defeat Antonio Vargas for the WBA bantamweight title before moving up in weight again to face “The Monster.”

When discussing the potential Inoue vs Rodriguez clash, Hearn told Boxing News: 

“I watched Inoue up close in Saudi. And I’ve never been more convinced that Jesse Bam Rodriguez beats him. Honestly, for a long period of time, I thought it might be a step too far for Jesse, but now Jesse’s up at bantamweight and feels big and strong there. I just think he’s too good for him. He’s 26 years old, and what’s Inoue now? 33 now? I don’t see Bam losing to Inoue. 

“And I thought Inoue would go through Nakatani, and do a right job on him, and by all accounts, it was a very competitive fight. He’s (Inoue) an amazing fighter, and he’s a superstar. I know Bam beats him, because Bam’s got it in here (taps side of head) and Bam don’t give a f**k. But Bam will go to Japan tomorrow. He wants to go to Japan, and there’s absolutely no doubt in Bam’s head that he beats Naoya Inoue. 

“He’s got a fight against Vargas, who’s a very good fighter. It’s not going to be easy, but come through that, let’s just make it happen.”