Update: Naoya Inoue’s agent, John Lewis, tells The Ring’s Mike Coppinger that he is working with Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith to finalize a deal for Inoue to fight Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in March in Tokyo.

The fight is not yet finalized, but the update indicates that Inoue is pursuing the matchup following the scheduling disagreement discussed below.

Robert Garcia Scrambles To Save Naoya Inoue Fight

Robert Garcia is suddenly scrambling to get Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez into the ring with Naoya Inoue. Not long ago, the trainer talked about making the Japanese superstar hold off until April or May 2027. Now he wants ink on paper immediately because he realized the chance might slip away completely.

Garcia wanted everything on his terms. The catch is that Inoue runs his own schedule. Tell an elite champion with featherweight plans to sit around, and he will just pack up and go.

“Send the fking contract,” Garcia told BoxingScenesuddenly daring Inoue’s side to lock down a March date.

That urgency tells the whole story. Garcia previously wanted another 118-pound tune-up first. By mid-October, he tried shrinking that timeline, telling The Ring that Bam could jump into the ring in December, then turn right around for Inoue in March.

Everyone is wondering if that scramble happened too late.

Giving Bam another look at bantamweight made sense in theory. Jumping up to meet Inoue is a massive leap, so wanting extra prep time makes total sense. Still, that plan only worked if Inoue decided to play along, and the Japanese star already hinted he had plenty of other targets.

Garcia clearly misjudged his leverage. Inoue showed he has zero problem walking away, flipping the entire script. It stopped being about what Bam preferred, turning into a fight to keep the chance alive at all.

Demanding a contract flips the pressure into the public eye. Garcia can claim Bam is ready right now, yet that does not wipe away months of trying to stall for a later date.

Nobody knows if Inoue shut the door for good. Still, the sheer threat of him moving up division ranks gave Robert every reason to panic.

Bam might watch the biggest payday of his life vanish without throwing a single punch. Garcia’s sudden shouting just sounds like a corner realizing their dream matchup will not wait on their calendar.

Tim Bradley has named his winner for this evening’s O’Shaquie Foster vs Emanuel Navarrete unification battle.

WBC champion Foster collides with WBO and IBF titleholder Navarrete tonight at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

It brings together the two best 130lb fighters on the planet, with Navarrete having stopped Eduardo Nunez in his last bout back in February, while Foster defeated Ray Ford by majority decision during his most recent action in May.

Speaking to his YouTube channel ahead of the showdown, two-weight world champion Bradley began by breaking down the contest.

“Foster has got his hands full. Navarrete is one of those fighters that has always defied the odds. He’s always done it his way. His way has always been good enough. I think this fight is extremely dangerous for both. Foster definitely has the tools to beat Navarrete and Navarrete has the tools to beat Foster.

“I think Foster has to be perfect, I do. From my experience in calling Navarrete fights and speaking to fighters that have fought him, every fighter has said the same thing. It didn’t matter what weight it was or when they fought, every single fighter has said they have never ever in all their years been hit as hard as Navarrete hit.”

Despite acknowledging the threat that Navarrete possesses, Bradley revealed he is tipping Foster to come out on top.

“My prediction is I’m going with Foster. He’s going to show why he’s pound-for-pound. He is focused now. In the past when he suffered a couple of losses, things weren’t aligned.

“Now he’s got the promotional team, his actual team where he trains with, he’s got that now. He’s got money to pay for the best sparring partners, the best treatment, the best therapy, he has all that now.

“He has fought experienced guys. Guys where he wasn’t the favourite to win. I got him winning this fight but it’s going to be a damn good fight.”

Whoever gets their hand raised in this evening’s fight may look to then target an undisputed showdown with the winner of December’s WBA title clash between Anthony Cacace and Nick Ball, with Cacace having claimed the belt with a victory over Jazza Dickens.

Tim Bradley has named his winner for this evening’s O’Shaquie Foster vs Emanuel Navarrete unification battle.

WBC champion Foster collides with WBO and IBF titleholder Navarrete tonight at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

It brings together the two best 130lb fighters on the planet, with Navarrete having stopped Eduardo Nunez in his last bout back in February, while Foster defeated Ray Ford by majority decision during his most recent action in May.

Speaking to his YouTube channel ahead of the showdown, two-weight world champion Bradley began by breaking down the contest.

“Foster has got his hands full. Navarrete is one of those fighters that has always defied the odds. He’s always done it his way. His way has always been good enough. I think this fight is extremely dangerous for both. Foster definitely has the tools to beat Navarrete and Navarrete has the tools to beat Foster.

“I think Foster has to be perfect, I do. From my experience in calling Navarrete fights and speaking to fighters that have fought him, every fighter has said the same thing. It didn’t matter what weight it was or when they fought, every single fighter has said they have never ever in all their years been hit as hard as Navarrete hit.”

Despite acknowledging the threat that Navarrete possesses, Bradley revealed he is tipping Foster to come out on top.

“My prediction is I’m going with Foster. He’s going to show why he’s pound-for-pound. He is focused now. In the past when he suffered a couple of losses, things weren’t aligned.

“Now he’s got the promotional team, his actual team where he trains with, he’s got that now. He’s got money to pay for the best sparring partners, the best treatment, the best therapy, he has all that now.

“He has fought experienced guys. Guys where he wasn’t the favourite to win. I got him winning this fight but it’s going to be a damn good fight.”

Whoever gets their hand raised in this evening’s fight may look to then target an undisputed showdown with the winner of December’s WBA title clash between Anthony Cacace and Nick Ball, with Cacace having claimed the belt with a victory over Jazza Dickens.