Naoya Inoue says he is starting featherweight preparations instead of waiting for Bam Rodriguez

Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue said on Tuesday, October 13, that he will not keep waiting for a super fight with Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez and is beginning preparations for a move up to featherweight. The Japanese star made the statement in a post on his X account, written in Japanese.

"I have no intention of just waiting around for Bam, so I'm starting preparations to go to featherweight too," Inoue wrote. The post drew more than 500,000 views within hours, and The Ring reported that Inoue is preparing for a move to 126 pounds because he does not want to wait for Rodriguez.

What Inoue has said before

Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs), No. 1 on The Ring's pound-for-pound list, holds the Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles at 122 pounds. He last fought in May, beating Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision at the Tokyo Dome.

In late July, Inoue told Japanese media that he was willing to face Rodriguez if the fight could happen around February 2027, but that he was "not attached" to the matchup. "If it gets pushed back even further than that, then there's no need for me to be so attached to Bam," he said, per Sanspo, as quoted by The Ring. "I'll go my own way." He added that he could still make 122 pounds.

Team Rodriguez's position

Rodriguez (24-0, 17 KOs) moved down to bantamweight in June and won the WBA title by sixth-round knockout of Antonio Vargas. His trainer and manager Robert Garcia has repeatedly said he wants one more fight at 118 pounds, ideally a unification bout, before Rodriguez moves up to face Inoue.

In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Garcia again explained that plan. "I want Bam to feel punches, you know, block, be able to absorb some of those punches at 118 from a very strong fighter," he said, as quoted by BoxingNews24. Garcia also questioned Inoue's urgency to move up, saying "He's already a man. He's already built," and suggested that "he might think if the longer he waits, the bigger chance Bam has." According to BoxingNews24, Garcia's plan would push a potential Inoue fight back to spring 2027.

What is confirmed and what is not

Confirmed: Inoue publicly said he is starting featherweight preparations. Not confirmed: no fight has been announced for Inoue, and he has not vacated any of his 122-pound titles. He would have to give up all of those belts to compete at featherweight. A fight with Rodriguez also remains possible if terms and timing come together.

Featherweight contenders are already lining up. WBA featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa, who defends against Tomoki Kameda on October 17 in Las Vegas, told reporters he would "welcome" Inoue to 126 pounds. Inoue has previously named Rafael Espinoza and Figueroa as intriguing featherweight opponents.