Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue’s (33-0, 27 KOs) promoter Hideyuki Ohashi has revealed that a big fight is already in motion for February 2027, with another high-profile bout pencilled in for an “extraordinary place” shortly after.
“There’s the December matchmaking we’re working on right now. Then next February, if I say there’s a big fight, you’ll probably know what I’m talking about. That’s already in motion. After that, we’ll do another one in an extraordinary place,” Ohashi
Ohashi stopped short of naming an opponent, but the comments are likely to intensify speculation around a showdown with Jesse Rodriguez (24-0, 17 KOs), who moved up to bantamweight last month and stopped Antonio Vargas to claim the WBA title.
Trainer Robert Garcia has indicated Rodriguez will have one more fight at 118 pounds before heading up to super bantamweight. Inoue is coming off a unanimous decision over Junto Nakatani in May, retaining the undisputed super bantamweight championship.