Last Saturday, Turki Alalshikh, Terence Crawford, and dignitaries from the boxing world joined roughly fifty-five thousand spectators at the Tokyo Dome. Together, they watched Naoya Inoue face Junto Nakatani in a historic matchup.

Inoue didn’t just win. He delivered a dominant performance, breaking down Nakatani in front of a record-breaking crowd that reportedly generated a $32 million gate. That performance has now pushed the Riyadh Season head to pursue a similar event, with Naoya Inoue potentially facing Jesse Rodriguez.

“🚨 Turki Alalshikh is planning to make Naoya Inoue vs. ‘Bam’ Rodriguez for The Ring’s junior featherweight title in January in Japan, The Ring’s [Mike Coppinger] has learned,” the Ring Magazine tweet read. “The biggest attendance capacity possible is being aimed for with no venue decided yet. A special Ring belt would be designed for the super fight.”

With the win over Nakatani, a former three-division champion, Inoue further strengthened his standing in the sport. Already atop the pound-for-pound rankings, the two-division undisputed champion is widely regarded as an all-time great (ATG) by many diehards.

Any lingering questions about his drawing power were answered by the turnout at the Tokyo Dome.

“WON (Wrestling Observer Newsletter) reporting Inoue/Nakatani had a reported 55K in attendance and a gate of $32M,” read Jed I. Goodman’s X-post.

That momentum only strengthens the case for another major event built around Inoue.

As much as Turki Alalshikh and fans want to see Inoue enter a marquee matchup against Rodriguez, who carries a strong following in the U.S., the fighters themselves do not appear opposed to the idea.

Naoya Inoue vs. Bam Rodriguez: The road to a superfight

Inoue has already pointed to a possible move to 126 pounds.

“I’ll have 2 more fights in super bantamweight,” he’s reported to have stated. “The fight against Junto Nakatani and one more match I’d like to do. Once that’s over, it’s featherweight. Featherweight will be my final weight class challenge.”

Still, that move remains uncertain, largely due to the jump in both size and competition at featherweight, with Inoue also turning 33 last month.

Considering he has already cleared out the bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions, the available options for Inoue are narrowing.

While a rematch with Nakatani remains a strong possibility, another major matchup is also taking shape, with Rodriguez emerging as a leading option.

Rodriguez, who sits just a few spots below Inoue, in the pound-for-pound rankings, has become one of the leading names in American boxing.

Combined with technical skill, his aggressive approach in the ring has made him one of the most exciting fighters in the lower weight classes.

A unified champion at 115 pounds, recent reports indicate he is lined up to face WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas. The move, which could make him a three-division champion, is widely viewed as a step toward a potential showdown with Inoue, who sits just one division above.

Speaking with Mike Coppinger from his dressing room at the Tokyo Dome, Inoue addressed the possibility.

“Of course [I would fight Rodriguez], but it is all about the timing,” he said.

Rodriguez and his team, including trainer Robert Garcia, have also made it clear that Inoue remains a target.

“I think me against Inoue would definitely be one of the biggest fights in the lower weight divisions … I love going to Japan anyways, so if I were to fight out there for the first time, that would be great,” Rodriguez told Ring Magazine’s Rick Reeno last month.

With Rodriguez having already appeared on a Riyadh Season card and Inoue serving as a central figure, the fight shows clear signs of coming together. But with timing and venue still unresolved, the question now is who makes the first move.