Inoue Starts Featherweight Prep as Bam Rodriguez Fight Stalls

The fight boxing wanted to close out 2026's wish list is wobbling. An undisputed super-bantamweight collision between pound-for-pound ruler Naoya Inoue and three-weight champ Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez looked like a near-lock for spring 2027, but Inoue has now said he won't sit on his hands waiting for it. On X, 'The Monster' confirmed he's begun preparing for a move up to featherweight — just days after admitting he'd been training with Rodriguez specifically in mind.

The holdup is timing. Inoue wants to return in spring, ideally March. Rodriguez, fresh off jumping to 118lbs and grabbing the WBA bantamweight title, has a different queue: trainer Robert Garcia wants one more fight at bantamweight before chasing the 122lb crown, and recently floated April or May for an Inoue meeting. That's weeks Inoue doesn't seem willing to burn.

The Bantamweight Logjam

Rodriguez still has business to settle before he even thinks about moving up again. A unification with WBO titleholder Christian Medina — 27-4 (19 KO), last seen outpointing Adrian Curiel — is penciled in for December or January, though no date is locked. Until that's done, the 26-year-old southpaw isn't free, and Inoue has made clear he's happy to move on if Bam isn't ready in March.

Who's Waiting at 126

If Inoue does climb to featherweight, the belt-holders make for a loaded dance card. New York's Bruce Carrington (WBC, 18-0 with 10 KO) is the obvious stateside play and still unbeaten. IBF champ Angelo Leo (26-1, 12 KO), who edged Tomoki Kameda on a majority decision, has already been name-dropped by Inoue himself. And WBA holder Brandon Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KO) sits there too after stopping Nick Ball in the 12th.

There's also a homegrown angle brewing. Kameda challenges Figueroa for that WBA strap this Saturday, and a win would tee up an all-Japanese featherweight title fight — arguably the cleanest marketing route Inoue could ask for on his debut up north.

Rodriguez's camp isn't blinking yet. Promoter Eddie Hearn jumped on social media to insist the fight is still on the table and that his side remains willing to make it. For now, though, Inoue's message is blunt: he's not waiting, and the featherweight prep has already started. If Bam wants the biggest fight in the division, the clock is running.