According to its own statements, DAZN has called on Eddie Hearn to begin negotiations for the mega-fight between Naoya Inoue and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
The highly anticipated bout between Naoya Inoue and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is gaining new momentum. Matchroom CEO Eddie Hearn explained that DAZN had asked him to begin negotiations for the matchup between the two undefeated pound-for-pound stars. “DAZN has asked us to begin talks for this fight,” Hearn told The Ring. The streaming service has shown great interest worldwide, particularly with regard to the Japanese market.
However, it remains unclear when the fight might take place. According to Hearn, Rodriguez is expected to return to the ring in November or December. His trainer and manager, Robert Garcia, would like to unify more bantamweight titles before then. WBO champion Christian Medina is considered a possible opponent. However, should a bout with Inoue start to take shape, that plan could change. Hearn made it clear that Matchroom is, in principle, ready: “We want this fight. But so far, we haven’t heard anything from the other side.”
Inoue most recently defended his undisputed super bantamweight title with a decision victory over Junto Nakatani. Rodriguez was crowned WBA world champion in his bantamweight debut with a knockout victory over Antonio Vargas. In The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings, Inoue is ranked No. 1 and Rodriguez is ranked No. 4.
Text by Robin Josten