Eddie Hearn believes he has the perfect ace up his sleeve, especially after Naoya Inoue went 12 rounds in a “competitive fight” against Junto Nakatani.

Their super bantamweight clash on Saturday certainly had its competitive moments, but “The Monster” ultimately showcased his elite capabilities with a unanimous decision win.

Inoue thus successfully defended his undisputed crown in a sold-out Tokyo Dome, where his triumph over Nakatani could ultimately be considered the best victory of his career.

It wasn’t about the optics of his performance, but the tremendous focus and discipline he showed that made it such an impressive display.

Also considering that Nakatani was a top 10 fighter on a pound-for-pound basis, “The Monster” was under significant pressure to maintain his position as the poster boy for Japanese boxing.

While the 33-year-old has previously expressed interest in moving up to featherweight in his bid to become a five-division world champion, he is currently expected to remain at 122 pounds for the foreseeable future.

This comes as relevant boxing stakeholders are considering an undisputed showdown with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, who is looking to become a three-division world champion. June 13 against WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas.

Then the unified 115-pound king may want to move up another weight class and challenge Inoue, who scored a points victory over David Picasso last December in Saudi Arabia.

Based on that performance and clips of the Nakatani fight, Matchroom promoter Hearn told Boxing News he fully expects “Bam” to dethrone “The Monster.”

“I watched Inoue closely in Arabia and have never been more convinced that Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez beats him.

“For a long time I thought this might be a step too far for Jesse. But now Jesse is at bantamweight and he feels substantial and mighty, I just think he’s too good for [Inoue].

“He’s 26. And what’s Inoue like – 33 now? I don’t see ‘Bam’ losing to Inoue. I thought Inoue was going to get through Nakatani – and do a good job with him – and by all accounts it was a very close fight.”

Following the star’s pound-for-pound victory over Nakatani, it was reported that Turki Alalshikh wants Inoue and Rodriguez to headline the January show in Japan.

“I don’t know if the contract has been signed, but this fight was scheduled a few months ago. Everyone is expecting it,” Hearn told iFL Television about the Garcia vs. Benn fight.

The commentary puts the fight outside of early talks, with Benn setting Garcia up as his next opponent if terms are finalized.

Hearn also indicated that commitments may have already been made on Benn’s part that could impact the structure of the final deal.

“Oscar doesn’t always play the ball and he has a good influence because they already promised Conor Benn that the fight is over so they will have to pay,” Benn said.

This situation gives Oscar De La Hoya the upper hand in negotiations, with Golden Boy Promotions involved on Garcia’s side, while Benn is linked to Dana White through Zuffa Boxing.

The potential fight structure adds another layer where Garcia holds the WBC welterweight title and Benn is the top contender. Discussions included a catchweight of around 150 pounds, which would take the fight away from a standard title defense.

Benn last fought against Regis Prograis by decision and Garcia will enter the fight on the back of a victory over Mario Barrios, setting up the fight between the UK and the US if terms are finalised.

No date or venue has been confirmed, but Hearn’s comments indicate the fight is expected to take place once final terms are agreed.

Additional details regarding the structure of the fight are still being worked out, including weight, sanctioning considerations and final promotional terms between the parties involved. It can only be expected that once these issues are resolved, there will be an official announcement in which Benn will indicate Garcia as his intended opponent.

Terence Crawford has responded to Turka Alalshikh’s request to come out of retirement and pursue a rematch with Canelo Alvarez.

The Saudi boxing boss hosted their first meeting in September when Crawford moved up two weight classes and scored a career-defining unanimous decision victory.

In the process, the American became the undisputed king of three divisions and world champion in five weight classes before retiring in December with a record of 42-0.

Other than perhaps an immediate rematch with Canelo, there wasn’t much else Crawford could accomplish after proving himself as the top dog at 168 pounds.

Alvarez, on the other hand, is determined to reclaim a quarter of his undisputed super middleweight crown this year.

Standing in his way is WBC world champion Christian Mbilli, who will defend his title against Canelo on September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Like Canelo, Mbilli hasn’t fought since last September, when he drew to a 10-round draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo-Crawford card.

The Frenchman was then promoted from interim to full WBC champion following Crawford’s retirement while Alvarez recovers from elbow surgery.

While Mbilli represents a solid opponent, earlier this week Alalshikh suggested that Crawford should retire and rematch Canelo.

In response, the 38-year-old said in a video posted on social media, retweeted by: Fighting the noisethat he still has no desire to return to the ring.

“They still want me to come out of retirement and yell at some people. What more can I ask for, man? I’m blessed. Life is stunning now and I’m enjoying every bit of it.”

Clearly, Crawford doesn’t feel the need to re-start the Hall of Fame-worthy career that made him one of the top players of his generation.