Antonio Vargas conqueror Bam Rodriguez ready to skip December for Inoue, says coach

Naoya Inoue wants Rodriguez to skip any December fight and move straight up to 122lbs. Rodriguez's head coach Robert Garcia says the WBA bantamweight champion is willing, provided Inoue's team makes contact and negotiations go well.

Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez is prepared to give up a possible bantamweight unification with Christian Medina and go straight up to 122lbs to fight Naoya Inoue, his head coach Robert Garcia has said.

That is the condition Inoue has set. Promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested a fight with WBO champion Medina as an option for Rodriguez in December, but Inoue, 33, says Rodriguez must skip any December fight and move up to super-bantamweight to face him. Both men have expressed a willingness to meet early next year, with the fight discussed for 2027. Inoue has declined to wait around for Rodriguez, though, and could instead move up to 126lbs to pursue his bid to become a five-division world champion.

Garcia said Rodriguez had told him he would skip his next fight if Inoue came next. The coach also wanted the first move to come from the Japanese champion's side. Garcia said: “But [Team Inoue should] at least reach out to us. If it’s worth it for us, and the negotiations go well, we’re willing to do it.” Rodriguez, 26, became a three-weight world champion earlier this year when he knocked out Antonio Vargas in the sixth round to win the WBA 118lb title.

Inoue retained his four world titles at super-bantamweight with a points win over Junto Nakatani in May. He expects to return early next year whether or not he faces Rodriguez.

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