Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez to Fight Takuma Inoue Before Challenging Naoya Inoue

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez is rumored to be Naoya Inoue's next opponent, but before he faces "The Monster" in a boxing ring, Rodriguez mentioned in a recent interview with Ring Magazine that he wants to face Inoue's younger brother, Takuma, first.

Rodriguez laid out his eventual path to Naoya Inoue ahead of his fight against Antonio Vargas this Saturday, June 13, for the WBA bantamweight belt.

"I think that's a perfect storyline to the Inoue fight- beating his brother and then going and fighting the second brother," he told Manouk Akopyan from The Ring.

Watch the full Ring Magazine interview here:

A fight between two pound-for-pound greats is always a possibility, and the Naoya Inoue vs. Jesse Rodriguez fight is no exception. Even Rodriguez's trainer, Robert Garcia, has teased a possible fight between "Bam" and the current no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

After his fight with Alan Picasso, Naoya Inoue even showed interest in facing Rodriguez in the future:

‘Bam' Wants to be Undisputed

Having gone undisputed at flyweight and super flyweight, a fight against Takuma makes sense for "Bam," as he is currently focused on becoming undisputed at bantamweight before a move up to super bantamweight, the weight class Naoya is currently fighting in.

His first step at becoming an undisputed champion in a third weight class, however, begins with his fight this weekend against Vargas, who currently holds the WBA bantamweight belt. "Bam" is well aware of this fact.

"I know he's a tough fighter," he said of Vargas. "He has a lot of speed as well, so I'm expecting a very tough fight come June 13th."

"Bam" is incredibly focused and claims a potential fight with Inoue is nowhere in his headspace currently.

"I'm not even looking at that to be honest," he told Akopyan. "I need to stay focused on Antonio Vargas, pick up his world title, and we go from there."

Future Plans

When Akopyan mentioned the prospect of fighting Takuma before fighting Naoya, however, a smile clearly formed on Rodriguez's face.

Even when asked about a potential bout with Junto Nakatani, Bam answered, "I mean, I'm willing to fight whoever, whenever."

But just like he composes himself in the ring, "Bam" made sure he was measured when talking about the prospect of a legacy fight.

"I just need to stay focused in this fight, man. You know, it's a tough fight that I have in front of me, and I know I can get the job done. I will get the job done."

"I know when that Inoue fight does happen, then the fans are in for a great night of boxing," Rodriguez claimed. "People are already talking about that fight so much that it's inevitable at this point, and I feel like when the time comes, it's going to be a great fight. Probably one of the best fights in boxing history."

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 1:28 AM.