Naoya Inoue fight looms as ‘Bam’ Rodriguez bids to become a three-weight world champion

The pressure has perhaps never been greater for Jesse Rodriguez, who must keep himself in pole position for an undisputed super-bantamweight clash with Naoya Inoue.

Their potential showdown has all the makings of an instant classic, delivering a perfect blend of explosiveness and technical prowess between two of the sport’s standout performers.

In order to keep his dream alive, though, Rodriguez must first become a three-weight world champion against Antonio Vargas in the early hours of this Sunday morning (June 14).

The pair will collide for Vargas’ WBA bantamweight belt at Arizona’s Desert Diamond Arena, with ‘Bam’ entering his first significant challenge at 118lbs.

At super-flyweight, the American dethroned Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez - two previously unbeaten champions - with consecutive stoppages to unify the WBC, WBO and WBA titles last year.

His ambition was then to become the undisputed king at 115lbs, only for Andrew Moloney to refuse step-aside money and dethrone Willibaldo Garcia Perez for the IBF title last Saturday.

As a result, it appears Rodriguez now sees greater value in moving up through the lower divisions and pursuing an Inoue clash.

Standing in his way of doing so is Vargas, who, while not quite on Rodriguez’s level, is certainly a solid opponent for the 26-year-old to test the bantamweight waters against.

In his last outing, the 29-year-old successfully defended his WBA title against Daigo Higa, a rugged Japanese warrior who he managed to floor in the final minute of their contest last July.

Vargas had suffered a third-round knockdown but came on strong down the stretch, showing that he possesses the engine and grit to clinch a draw against a seasoned fighter such as Higa.

Unfortunately for him, he must now defend his belt against a far more talented customer, who just so happens to have stopped his last five opponents.

One of them was Juan Francisco Estrada, who ‘Bam’ defeated with a ferocious seventh-round body onslaught in 2024.

When asked to name a moment where he most effectively applied his tactics in the ring, Rodriguez highlighted his finish against the Mexican legend.

“I think it would be the shot that I ended ‘El Gallo’ Estrada with,” the Robert Garcia-trained champion said in Matchroom Boxing’s ‘In Flow’ video on YouTube.

“I hit him to the body, and then I did a pivot and hit the body again. I feel like that was just second nature, really. It just came naturally to me because that’s what we do here inside the gym with the [pads].

“We always work on our angles: Hit a combination, [create an] angle and then do another combination. I feel like that worked perfectly [against Estrada].”

If he defeats Vargas, as most expect him to, then Rodriguez may need to take a fight at super-bantamweight before jumping into the deep end against Inoue.

This is partly because, following his unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani last month, ‘The Monster’ made it clear that he intends to take a lengthy break from the sport.

He did, after all, amass four victories in 2025, and having just defended his titles against a fellow pound-for-pound star, Inoue has certainly earned the right to take some time for himself.

In the meantime, ‘Bam’ could keep himself bust by facing a sturdy contender at 122lbs – perhaps someone like Ramon Cardenas, who dropped Inoue before losing their thrilling contest via an eighth-round stoppage in May 2025.

A strong performance against Cardenas would then create even further hype for the Inoue showdown, which is seemingly being slated for a date in 2027.