The featherweight world champion believes his marketing potential in Japan will be enough to secure a lucrative clash with Naoya Inoue.

The undisputed super bantamweight king is apparently considering his options after defeating Junto Nakatani to retain his four world titles earlier this month.

It was an elegant performance that saw Inoue claim a unanimous decision victory, with fans now clamoring for him to face unified super flyweight king Jessy “Bam” Rodriguez.

During Rodriguez’s next appearance June 13 against WBA champion Antonio VargasThe 26-year-old will move up to 118 pounds and try to become a world champion in three weight classes.

After that, it’s highly likely that “Bam” will be the top contender for the fight against Inoue, who has said he will stay at 122 pounds for one more fight and then move up to featherweight before retiring.

If and when he does indeed move up to 126 pounds, “The Monster” will almost certainly jump straight into a world title fight against one of the four champions.

One of them is Angelo Leo, the IBF champion who believes he has an advantage over Bruce Carrington, Rafael Espinoza and Brandon Figueroa.

That’s because the American has already impressed Japanese fight fans, with his last fight ending in a majority decision victory over Tomoki Kameda in Osaka, Japan.

At the same time, Leo admitted it Fighting the noise that he may have to unify the 126-pound division to secure a potential Inoue fight.

“I wouldn’t put it off [Inoue to choose] for me to be the first to fight at featherweight, just because I’m already established in Japan.

“But I think a unification fight would probably be the best option.”

Since Leo’s IBF title defense against Ra’eese Aleem was unsuccessful earlier this month, the 32-year-old has not fought since defeating Kameda in May 2025.

Floyd Mayweather’s financial situation is back in the spotlight after the boxing legend filed a $175 million fraud lawsuit against former colleagues while continuing to pursue multiple comeback fights.

How first reported by TMZMayweather filed a lawsuit in Fresh York accusing former associate Jona Rechnitz, investment firm Frist Apex Ventures, Ayal Frist and lawyer Alexander Seligson of orchestrating what Floyd describes as a multi-year scheme involving unauthorized transfers, fraudulent investments and missing luxury assets.

Mayweather’s legal team alleges that millions of dollars were diverted through business entities linked to Rechnitz and Frist, including real estate proceeds, jewelry transactions and the refinancing of several properties.

Among the most eye-catching claims are allegations that Mayweather’s jewelry worth about $100 million was transferred to jewelers for only about $13 million, while Floyd also claims that money tied to the sale of his Gulfstream jet disappeared without explanation.

The lawsuit also alleges that Mayweather contributed $7.5 million to an investment that never materialized and millions more were transferred without his consent.

Mayweather’s attorney, Leo Jacobs, stated: “The conduct alleged in this letter – including the diversion of settlement proceeds, refinancing of proceeds, and repeated distributions of properties to accounts controlled by Jona Rechnitz through Frist Apex Ventures – requires full forensic accounting.

“We look forward to obtaining this settlement and recovering every dollar to which our client is entitled.”

Floyd Mayweather lawsuit

The lawsuit was filed shortly after Mayweather publicly attacked Rechnitz on social media.

“Liar, thief, rat and snake,” Floyd wrote.

“Jona Rechnitz is the worst person to ever walk this planet.”

The accusations added another chapter to a confused twelve months for Mayweather.

Mayweather’s past year has been a mix of financial rumors and comeback plans that stalled as his previously quieter life flared up again even as he neared 50.

Several fights have fizzled out, been delayed or simply didn’t happen as Mayweather now has an incredible three fights in the next four months.

Is this a sign of potential financial problems?

This was a question many people were asking before Mayweather began filing lawsuits, which apparently fueled speculation about his finances.

The fight for Mayweather’s return

But it’s not like Mayweather spent all his money. As previously reported, the five-division champion claims he was defrauded by a combination of his former television network Showtime and Stephen Espinoza and former partners and business associates.

Mayweather tries not to portray this as his fault, but it’s becoming increasingly hard for some to accept that Floyd ultimately chose the people he worked with and surrounded himself with.

How it will all play out is anyone’s guess, and whether the fights against Mike Zambidis, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao will take place in that order is still uncertain.

Despite the mounting legal drama, Mayweather continues to post a mix of training materials and legal updates on social media less than a month before he is scheduled to fight Zambidis in Greece.

The event remains ongoing for now as Floyd prepares for another comeback and legal pressure continues to mount around him.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

The fight returned Ruiz to the ring for the first time in about two years, since he scored a 12-round draw against Jarrell Miller in August 2024. Hughie, 31, has won eight straight fights since losing to Alexander Povetkin in 2019, but the opposition has been confined and he has stayed away from the field of contenders.

“Well, I could start. You messaged me on Instagram and said, ‘Hey, I think it would be a good fight if we fought, right?’

“And I said, ‘Yes, let’s do it. Send me the contract.’

“Let me know who your promoter, manager, whoever it was because I’m a free agent. But yes, we agreed. Things are taking longer than usual because of negotiations about where it will be, who will host it and what promoter will get it.”

“But we are here,” Andy Ruiz Jr. said. for Boxing King Media.

Ruiz’s career never really took off after two huge payouts against Anthony Joshua in 2019. Many fans understood why his activity declined after he reportedly made life-changing money from these fights, but the strategy backfired.

Instead of constantly rebuilding his business through activity, Ruiz spent years fighting only the biggest fights. He has repeatedly called for a third fight with Joshua, targeted fights with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder and reportedly priced himself too high during talks to fight Wilder.

The result was a long period of inactivity and a decline in prominence in the heavyweight division that operated without him.

Hughie’s career is at a standstill. He lost decisions to Joseph Parker in 2017 and Kubrat Pulev in 2018, before losing to Povetkin a year later. Since then, he has remained vigorous mainly against lower-tier opponents, failing to take another significant step up. His last fight was in November 2025 with the little-known Michael Webster.

“We both want to fight. So let’s do it.

“I want this fight. You want this. That’s it. Enough talk. Let’s get to the fight,” Hughie Fury said of his interest in fighting Andy Ruiz Jr.

For Ruiz, the fight has an uncomfortable meaning. The former unified heavyweight champion, who looked set to set up major events over the years, is now linked to a heavyweight whose biggest career moments are defeats dating back almost a decade.