Naoya Inoue's agent John Lewis told The Ring he is working with Matchroom to finalise a March super fight in Tokyo against Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez.
What we know
- Inoue's agent John Lewis is working with Matchroom to finalise an Inoue vs. Rodriguez fight in Tokyo in March.
- Inoue wants Rodriguez to skip a December fight and move up to 122 pounds.
- Eddie Hearn says Rodriguez's team are willing to go straight into a March fight and is waiting on an offer from Inoue's side.
Reported, not confirmed
- Rodriguez is in talks to face Christian Medina on Dec. 11; Frank Smith called that fight 50-50. The Ring
Naoya Inoue's agent, John Lewis, told The Ring he is working with Matchroom's Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith to finalise a super fight between the undisputed super-bantamweight champion and Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez in Tokyo in March.
Inoue has said Rodriguez must skip any December fight and move straight up to 122 pounds. Rodriguez, the WBA bantamweight champion, is in talks to face WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua undercard on Dec. 11. Smith said this week that fight was 50-50, with a decision due within days.
Hearn said he was waiting on an offer from Inoue's side and that Rodriguez's team are willing to go straight into the March fight. Rodriguez's head coach, Robert Garcia, has said the 26-year-old would skip December if negotiations with Inoue's team go well.
Inoue retained his four world titles with a points win over Junto Nakatani in May. Rodriguez became a three-weight world champion this year by knocking out Antonio Vargas in the sixth round.
Inoue has said Rodriguez must skip any December fight and move straight up to 122 pounds. Rodriguez, the WBA bantamweight champion, is in talks to face WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua undercard on Dec. 11. Smith said this week that fight was 50-50, with a decision due within days.
Hearn said he was waiting on an offer from Inoue's side and that Rodriguez's team are willing to go straight into the March fight. Rodriguez's head coach, Robert Garcia, has said the 26-year-old would skip December if negotiations with Inoue's team go well.
Inoue retained his four world titles with a points win over Junto Nakatani in May. Rodriguez became a three-weight world champion this year by knocking out Antonio Vargas in the sixth round.
- Summary
- Naoya Inoue's agent John Lewis told The Ring he is working with Matchroom to finalise a March super fight in Tokyo against Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez.
- Key points (one per line)
- Agent John Lewis says he is working with Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith of Matchroom on the deal
Inoue wants Rodriguez to skip a December fight and move straight up to 122 pounds
Rodriguez is also in talks to face Christian Medina on the Fury-Joshua undercard on Dec. 11; Smith called that fight 50-50
No fight has been officially announced
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Combat Sports UK | https://combatsportsuk.com/news/91f4dfd8-86e8-4bf0-82de-29c8f65b2aeb/naoya-inoue-agent-working-with-matchroom-to-finalise-bam-rodriguez-fight-in-tokyo
Fighters in this story
Naoya Inoue
Anthony Joshua
Tyson FurySources
Combat Sports UKSummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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