Eddie Hearn has called a bout between Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Naoya Inoue a “fantasy fight,” but believes it's unlikely to happen because of the huge weight difference between the two fighters.
(Photo provided by Sumio Yamada)
Weight class differences are an obstacle
Promoter Hearn said he expects “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) to move up to super bantamweight by the time he does so. [122]Japanese star Inoue will likely move up to featherweight already [126].
For this fight to happen, Bam would have to take a risk moving up to super bantamweight right now, which is certainly possible given his size, but it would be a big jump in terms of competition for the 24-year-old Rodriguez, and that will be the tricky part.
Physically speaking, Bam could easily move up to 122 pounds now, as he looked like a full-fledged featherweight in the ring against WBC super flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada last Saturday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, where he knocked out the 34-year-old Estrada with a body shot in the seventh round.
Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) has a rematch clause with Bam Rodriguez, and Hearn believes he might use it to force a second bout. If Bam wants to fight Inoue, he would be wise to get the rematch with Estrada over and then move up to 122 pounds for a megafight with the Japanese star.
Bam could move up to super bantamweight
“Jesse vs. Inoue is a fantasy fight, and an incredible match. [Bam Rodriguez] “He's come up from light flyweight, he's at super flyweight now but he'll definitely move up to bantamweight,” Eddie Hearn said in an interview with Matchroom Boxing, discussing a potential fight between Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Naoya Inoue.
“He'll move up to super bantamweight at some point, but it'll probably end up being a by-pass, but who knows. If Inoue stays at 122 pounds for the next few years, Jesse could face him there. Yes, it may be a fantasy fight right now, but it would be a fantasy fight no matter what,” Hearn said of a fight between Inoue and Bam Rodriguez.
If Bam Rodriguez wants to face Inoue, he would be better off moving up to 122 after his potential rematch with Juan Estrada. There are no big names that American boxing fans would be interested in fighting him at 115 or 118.
At the very least, if Bam were to fight Inoue now, it would be a big fight for Japan and the U.S. It was brave of Bam to make the move now instead of waiting two to four years from now.
“Bam had the upper hand in the first half of the fight, but then Estrada fought back with a knockdown. [in round six] “And it completely changed the course of the fight,” Hearn said. “Estrada was in the fight and all of a sudden, a body shot came in the perfect spot. He couldn't get up, he couldn't breathe.”
Estrada was skinny and weak before the fight and was far from his best. 115 pounds is no longer a good weight class for Estrada. He needs to move up to bantamweight or super bantamweight. [118 or 122]and make his life easier.
“It was a great finish, a great knockout in a great fight and an amazing scorecard. I don't agree with it but it shows how competitive and dramatic this fight was. I would have actually liked to see the fight finish in straight sets but maybe we'll see that next time,” Hearn said.
Estrada put up a good fight at times, but he just wasn't consistent enough to beat the bigger, stronger and younger Bam Rodriguez.
