Naoya Inoue Names 'Only Choice' for Last Fight Before Featherweight Move

Naoya Inoue has revealed that a potential super-fight with a fellow pound-for-pound star at super bantamweight could well be the last time we see him fight in the division before he begins his featherweight journey. The Japanese boxing legend has been operating at the very top level for over a decade now, and 24 of his 33 fights (excluding secondary belts) have been for world titles. He is also part of an exclusive club of fighters who have a world title in four different weight classes and an even more exclusive club of male fighters who have become undisputed in two divisions - with Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford for company. Naoya Inoue throws a right hand against Ramon Cardenas | Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inoue is the reigning undisputed super bantamweight champion and has been for nearly three years, having defended his crown an unprecedented seven times in that period. This includes arguably the biggest fight of the year so far, when he took on his compatriot and rival, Junto Nakatani, at a sold-out Tokyo Dome. The fight was a great contest between two pound-for-pound stars, but Inoue emerged the unanimous winner to cement him as one of his not the best fighters in the world at any weight. Inoue says Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez fight "the only choice" Fans and pundits have been asking for Inoue and Rodriguez to fight for some time now, and there is no doubt it would be a scintillating contest whilst it lasted, as both men are fierce knockout specialists. Jesse Rodriguez | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wir Inoue had previously said that the clock was ticking for the fight as he has ambitions to move up and chase another world title at a fifth weight class. It now seems he will wait for Rodriguez to make his move. "If I'm going to make the most of the time I have left at super bantamweight, I think Bam is really the only choice,' Inoue told The Ring. 'Ideally, I'd like to get through the Bam fight first, graduate from super bantamweight, and then move into the final chapter of my career at featherweight. That's the path I'd like to take. I want to keep challenging myself all the way through.' Jesse Rodriguez | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wir What Inoue thinks of Rodriguez as a fighter Rodriguez is, at only 26, already a three-weight world champion and a certified knockout artist for such a naturally light fighter, with 17 of his 24 wins coming inside the distance. He most recently dethroned Antonio Vargas in his first fight at bantamweight to become the WBA champion. There are those who said after the fight that Rodriguez looked undersized at the new weight and predicted that he might struggle to maintain his power and unbeatable aura at another weight class. Inoue also noticed this but disagreed with the notion that this takes away from his ability to end a fight - something he is familiar with himself. "I did get the impression that, physically, things weren't quite the same for him as they had been before," Inoue said. But he still managed to finish the fight with a knockout. 'His strength isn't really about physical power. He has the ability to punch through you with pinpoint accuracy. For example, even if I were fighting at super-featherweight or lightweight, I think I'd still be able to hurt an opponent with a punch they didn't see coming. I think it's the same with Bam. Could the fight happen this year? Inoue could be available for a fight in the final quarter of the year having not fought since May, but the schedule is already packed with little more room for a big headline show that it would demand either in the US or Japan. It also looks as though Rodriguez has his eyes on a bantamweight unification bout before moving up in weight to solidify his position. His trainer, Robert Garcia, has targeted the WBO bantamweight champion, Christian Medina. "They are not very far. Right now, Bam just became champion at 118 lbs, Inoue is at 122 lbs, it is only a four-pound difference," Garcia told the True Hustle Podcast. "The talent is there, the skills are there for Bam, but I am also not just a trainer that puts my fighters in there like a pendejo, I am smart about it. 'I keep asking, I want one more fight at 118, he has just had one fight at 118 against Vargas. So, I want a better challenge, I want a bigger challenge, that is why I am asking for one more fight against 'Chispa' [Christian] Medina from Guadalajara, a strong kid, a solid kid." Early 2027 looks like the likely date, but will Inoue opt for another fight before or bide his time to fully prepare for Rodriguez?? Add us as a preferred source on Google