Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is closer than ever to a career-defining fight. The pound-for-pound star may finally land the fight he and many fans have been waiting for. But there’s a twist. His next opponent could be either Naoya Inoue or Junto Nakatani. His longtime trainer, Robert Garcia, confirmed the plan hinges on the two Japanese stars potentially meeting on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome.
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The lower-weight divisions are buzzing about a potential showdown between three elite names. While Naoya Inoue currently calls the shots at 122 pounds, Jesse Rodriguez holds unified titles at 115. Junto Nakatani, a former bantamweight champion, vacated his belt to position himself for a blockbuster fight with Inoue. That move has also fueled calls for Nakatani to face the division’s third star – Bam Rodriguez.
Jesse Rodriguez is coming for the Inoue-Nakatani winner
Trainer Robert Garcia made his expectations clear. Speaking on ProBox TV, Garcia, a strong contender to win the 2025 Trainer of the Year award, said, “I’m excited about Junto and Inoue; we’re going to get the winner. I’m going to get the winner.”
The comment had Chris Algieri and Paulie Malignaggi laughing. Garcia said styles make fights and dismissed claims that Inoue would run through Nakatani, who has faced questions after a tough fight against Hernandez.
Two weeks ago, Inoue and Nakatani both appeared on the Ring V card at Riyadh’s Mohammed Abdo Arena. “Junto is going to give Inoue a great fight,” Garcia stated. “And I can’t wait, because like I tell, it looks like we’re going to get the winner…that’s the fight I’m really excited about.
Robert Garcia saying Bam Rodriguez will fight the winner of the Inoue Vs Nakatani fight.
Source: @boxingscene #InoueNakatani #BoxingNews #BamRodriguez #NaoyaInoue #JuntoNakatani pic.twitter.com/dW28AvRRAO— Knockout Knowledge (@KO__Knowledge) January 9, 2026
Garcia’s comments followed Inoue’s recent call-out of Rodriguez.
Rodriguez eyes Inoue-Nakatani, but questions remain
After his win over David Picasso, speaking through a translator, Inoue said, “When he’s (Bam) ready and if he can fight at super-bantam class and if timing is perfect, I’d love to wait for him to challenge me.” In response, Garcia replied simply, “We’ll see him soon.”
Rodriguez has echoed that interest. In late November, he scored one of 2024’s most emphatic wins, stopping Argentina’s Fernando “Puma” Martinez in the tenth round at Night of the Champions.
Before that bout, Rodriguez told the Inside the Ring podcast he was targeting fights with both Inoue and Nakatani after getting past Martinez. Talks were already underway for a potential Rodriguez-Nakatani matchup before Nakatani moved up from bantamweight, where he held the WBC and IBF titles, to become the mandatory challenger at 122 pounds.
The biggest question is how Rodriguez will handle the jump in weight. Speaking on Inside the Ring, he said his goal is to become undisputed at 115 pounds first. If either Inoue or Nakatani wins their showdown, Rodriguez would need to jump two divisions, similar to Terence Crawford’s recent move to challenge Canelo, to face the winner.