Naoya Inoue isn’t waiting around for anyone. His team officially shut the door on an April or May return, shutting down the timeline Robert Garcia floated for Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
The target remains February or March. If Rodriguez can’t make that window work, he misses his shot because Inoue plans to climb toward featherweight immediately.
Promoter Hideyuki Ohashi laid down the law on Wednesday. That stance creates real trouble for Garcia, especially since Rodriguez still lacks an official fight date for his bantamweight unification against Christian Medina.
“There won’t be April or May [next year],” Ohashi said to Hochi News.
Garcia floated spring dates for the matchup. Inoue previously announced he won’t delay his plans for Rodriguez, intending to begin his 126-pound preparations instead.
Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn claims an entirely different stance. The promoter hit back at Inoue by insisting their side welcomes the early schedule.
“Who’s waiting? You said you were fighting in February or March, right? We’re ready,” Hearn posted.
Hearn talks a big game, yet the Medina situation stays up in the air. Without a locked date for that unification, Rodriguez has no realistic timeline to fight Medina first, then jump up in weight for Inoue.
Should Hearn speak for the entire corner, the camps might sit closer to an agreement than Garcia suggested. If Garcia digs in on spring, Ohashi shut that idea down completely.
Inoue possesses every reason to stay active. Sticking around at 122 pounds strictly for Bam Rodriguez stalls his bid for a belt in a fifth weight class. His corner refuses to let historic goals depend on another fighter’s schedule. The fight can happen, but Hearn, Garcia, plus Rodriguez need internal aggreement first. Ohashi made Inoue’s stance crystal clear: the next ring walk will not shift into April or May for anyone.
Ohashi called their bluff immediately. Inoue holds every bit of leverage here. If Bam wants to cement real greatness, he steps up to the plate when the champion calls. Trying to slow-walk the fight only makes his team look hesitant, and Inoue is not going to put his featherweight goals on hold just to give Bam extra time to find his courage.