FOR MANY, whether they are fighters or fans, the prospect of being locked in the ring with Japan’s Naoya Inoue may be considered something closer to a nightmare than a dream. After all, he’s known as “The Monster” and, over the course of a 12-year career, he’s finished 24 of his 27 fights from the distance, often in a devastating fashion.
However, while Inoue rightly instills fear in all those who cross his path, there is one man whose instincts are to run away from a threat rather than walk away. His name is Jesse Rodriguez and Rodriguez not only doesn’t fear Inoue, he wants to fight him in Tokyo, Japan. He even calls this his “dream”.
“Inoue is a dream fight,” Rodriguez said Debate News. “That’s a fight I’ve been asking about for a few years now. Every time he asks me to name my dream fight I say I will be against him in Japan.”
Naoya Inoue
For this to happen, of course, a few things will need to be in order. First, Rodriguez will have to take the WBC super-flyweight belt from Juan Francisco Estrada, whom he will meet on June 29 in Phoenix. After that, Rodriguez will have to really quench his thirst in the 115-pound division, he says, which could lead to a fight against the winner of the WBA and IBF between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on July 7.
“It’s a very good fight but I think Ioka will finish it,” said Rodriguez. “That’s a fight (with Ioka or Martinez) at a level I would be interested in.
“I want to fight the best fights. If he (Ioka) is on the way, let’s make it happen. Also, I love being in Tokyo. So let’s make it happen out there.
“Just being in Japan feels like I’m at home. It’s my home away from home in a way.”
Having so many options, and each of these options so appealing, is a testament to both the rate at which Rodriguez has improved and his willingness to pursue the best challenges out there. Still only 24 years old, he has every chance, should his plan come to fruition, to create a legacy that matches the best fighters in the lightweight division – and all within the space of three or four more fights.
“I have this one (against Estrada on June 29), and I have a rematch clause with Estrada, so if he wants to do that, it would be the second (fight),” said Rodriguez, 19-0 (12). “Then it was Martinez who won against Ioka. That’s the right plan for me, but if I have to sit for another fight that goes without a fight, I don’t mind that.”
Obviously, if his actions and words give a true reflection of his mind, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has no problems doing it. anything else. Yes, even fighting Naoya Inoue in Tokyo, Japan.
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