Eddie Hearn is labeling a match between Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Naoya Inoue as a “legendary fight,” but doubts it will ever happen because of how far apart the two fighters are in weight.
(Photo credit: Sumio Yamada)
Weight Class Differences Obstacle
Promoter Hearn feels like when ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) moves up to super bantamweight [122]Japanese star Inoue will move up to featherweight [126].
For that fight to happen, Bam will need to take a risk by moving up to super bantamweight now, which he can do, given his size. It would be a big jump in competition for Rodriguez, 24, and that would be the tough part.
Size-wise, Bam could easily move up to 122 because he looked like a full featherweight in the ring last Saturday night in his fight with WBC super flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Bam submitted the 34-year-old Estrada in the seventh round with a body shot.
Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) has a stipulation for his fight with Bam Rodriguez, and Hearn believes he may use it to force a rematch. If Bam wants to fight Inoue, the smart thing would be to get the rematch out of the way with Estrada and move up to 122 to try and get a big fight with the Japanese star.
Bam May Jump To Super Bantamweight
“Jesse vs. Inoue is a fake war. It’s also an amazing fight. You are talking about a boy [Bam Rodriguez] who came from the light flyweight division. Right now he’s at super flyweight, and he’s going to bantam,” said Eddie Hearn speaking to Matchroom Boxing, discussing a possible fight between Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Naoya Inoue.
“I’m sure he’ll go to super bantamweight early, but maybe they’ll end up not seeing each other, but who knows? If Inoue stays at 122 for the next few years, Jesse will meet him there. “Yeah, maybe it’s not a real fight right now, but what a dream fight,” Hearn said of the Inoue vs. Bam Rodriguez fight.
If Bam Rodriguez wants the Inoue fight, he’d be better off jumping to 122 after his potential rematch with Juan Estrada. There are no big names for Bam to fight at 115 or 118 for the US boxing community to recognize.
At least if Bam fights Inoue now, it would be a big fight in Japan and the US It would be braver for Bam to make a move now than in two to four years.
“I heard Bam was in control of the first half of the fight, but Estrada came back with a uppercut that put him down [in round six] then the battle turned,” said Hearn. “Estrada was in the fight, but suddenly, the body was completely laid. He couldn’t stand up, he couldn’t even breathe.”
Estrada looked thinner and thinner from the fight, and he wasn’t in the best shape. 115 is no longer a good portion of the Estrada’s weight. He needs to move up to bantamweight or super bantamweight [118 or 122]and make his life easier.
“It was a great match, a knockout in an amazing fight, and a good card. I don’t agree with it, but it shows how competitive the war was and how intense the war was. Actually, I would like to see the fight go the right way, but maybe we’ll see in the future,” said Hearn.
Estrada wrestled well at times, but he wasn’t consistent enough to succeed against the bigger, stronger, and smaller Bam Rodriguez.
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