Eddie Hearn considers WBC junior bantamweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez one of the best fighters in the world, and while a matchup with undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue remains a pipe dream, Hearn believes it could happen if Inoue remains at 122 pounds.
Rodriguez delivered a “star-making performance” on Saturday, stopping former champion Juan Francisco Estrada, considered one of the best fighters of the last generation, in seven rounds. Just 24 years old, Rodriguez has beaten Estrada, Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, three of the top four in the junior bantamweight division at the time. Rodriguez's sparring partner and mentor, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, is the only top contender he has yet to fight, and it seems unlikely anyone will ever match those two. Perhaps that's why Hearn spoke about a possible future matchup between San Antonio's Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) and Japan's Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs).
“Jesse Vs. [Naoya] “The fight with Inoue is a fantasy but it's also a great fight,” he told Matchroom. “Maybe they won't end up fighting, but who knows.”
“If Inoue stays at 122 pounds [lbs] That's where Jesse will be seeing him for years to come.”
Hearn praised Rodriguez, calling him a top-five pound-for-pound fighter after his performance against Estrada, but acknowledged that it's harder for lightweights to earn “respect.”
“The problem with the lower weight classes is that they don't get the same respect as the higher weight classes,” he said. “Like I said in the ring, Jesse Rodriguez should be talked about in the same context as Terence Crawford. [Oleksandr] Usyk, and [Naoya] Inoue, he is that good.”
The bout, watched by a crowd of 10,000 in Phoenix, Arizona, highlighted Rodriguez's emergence as a superstar. Estrada has a rematch clause that he seems keen to use. Hearn sees Rodriguez's win over Estrada as a key milestone that brings the fight against Inoue closer to reality.
“Just a pure pound-for-pound star,” the promoter said.
