Inoue vs Rodriguez: Garcia says Bam can skip December and demands a contract

The Inoue-Rodriguez fight is moving from talk toward a deal, and the biggest obstacle has shifted. Rodriguez's trainer, Robert Garcia, now says his fighter can go straight into it. He wants a contract before anything else.

Garcia's plan was different at first. He wanted Rodriguez to have one more fight at 118 pounds, possibly a unification bout with WBO champion Christian Medina. That fight was talked about for the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua undercard on Dec. 11, and Matchroom's Frank Smith put it at 50-50 earlier this week. Garcia now says Rodriguez could skip it and give up his WBA bantamweight title, according to Boxing News.

Garcia read Inoue's insistence on no December fight as a tactic. Speaking to BoxingScene, he said: "If he can't wait an extra two months, I don't think it's a weight issue." He told Fight Hype that Rodriguez still has no date this year, and that Inoue is pressuring the promoters and the media. He also said Inoue makes mistakes that Rodriguez is well suited to catch.

Inoue's side is working on it. Agent John Lewis told The Ring he is working with Eddie Hearn and Smith of Matchroom on a Tokyo date in March. Hearn said he was waiting on an offer from Inoue's camp and that Rodriguez's team were willing to go straight into the fight.

Inoue is 33 and the undisputed super-bantamweight champion, and he kept his four titles with a points win over Junto Nakatani in May. Rodriguez is 26 and became a three-weight champion this year by knocking out Antonio Vargas in the sixth round. Boxing News says Inoue has teased a move up to 126 pounds unless Rodriguez agrees to face him next.

What to watch next is whether Inoue's side sends the contract Garcia is asking for, and whether the Medina fight is dropped. No deal has been announced, and no date or venue is confirmed.