Naoya Inoue has not fought since beating Junto Nakatani in front of 55,000 people at the Tokyo Dome in May, and while his camp is working on a Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez superfight for early 2027, Inoue has said he will not wait past that.

But, he also shared that he will not wait forever until an agreement is made. If Rodriguez isn't ready by then, he has said he will move up to featherweight and chase a title in a fifth division instead.

His promoter Hideyuki Ohashi spoke in June about a possible December outing before the big one, but Japanese reports in late July said Inoue is unlikely to fight again in 2026.

So, whether Inoue’s next fight happens with Jesse Rodriguez or not, the Monster's next appearance is expected to happen in early 2027 either way. 

Whoever he ends up facing, a superfight of this size will headline any card it lands on, so it is worth keeping across the latest Grade A boxing odds as the plans firm up.

Fighter: Naoya "The Monster" Inoue, 33-0 (27 KOs)

Titles: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight (122 lb), undisputed champion

Next Fight Target opponent: Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, WBA bantamweight champion

Next Fight Target date: February 2027, with March also mentioned by Rodriguez's team

Next Fight Reported venue: IG Arena, Nagoya, Japan (unconfirmed)

Next Fight Status: In negotiation, nothing signed

Fallback: A move to featherweight (126 lb)

Naoya Inoue's Last Fight

Opponent: Junto Nakatani

Date: Saturday 2 May 2026

Venue: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, in front of a sold-out 55,000

Result: Inoue def. Nakatani, unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 115-113)

Titles: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight, seventh defence at 122 lb

In case you didn’t follow the bout, this was billed as the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history - and it delivered.

Nakatani, the unbeaten former three-weight champion who had moved up to super bantamweight specifically for this, made Inoue work harder than anyone in years. An accidental clash of heads in the tenth opened a bad cut on Nakatani, and Inoue took over from the eleventh to close the show on the cards.

Who Is Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez?

Rodriguez is the American Inoue's team has had circled since the Nakatani fight was signed.

He's a 26-year-old southpaw from San Antonio, unbeaten, and already a three-division world champion after knocking out Antonio Vargas for the WBA bantamweight title in June 2026. Before that he cleaned out super flyweight, where he held the WBA, WBC and WBO belts.

Rodriguez is moving up from 115 lb, and his trainer Robert Garcia said after the Vargas fight that Bam felt the extra strength at bantamweight and wants one more fight there before jumping to 122 lb to meet Inoue.

That fight is expected to be a unification against WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina in November or December 2026, though it is not yet confirmed, and Eddie Hearn has said it could be dropped if the Inoue date lands.

Garcia was upbeat in early September, saying the Inoue fight "will happen" and pointing to March 2027. Inoue's own line, given in late July, was that February is the limit. He said if it gets pushed back further than that, there's no need for him to stay attached to Bam.

Naoya Inoue's Recent Record

May 2026: Junto Nakatani, UD 12, Tokyo Dome

December 2025: Alan Picasso, UD 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

September 2025: Murodjon Akhmadaliev, UD 12, Nagoya

May 2025: Ramon Cardenas, TKO 8, Las Vegas (Inoue was dropped in round two)

January 2025: Ye Joon Kim, KO 4, Tokyo

Inoue fought four times in 2025 across three countries. The Cardenas knockdown in Las Vegas, and a rocky patch against Akhmadaliev four months later, were the first real signs of wear anyone had seen on him. He answered both with clear wins, but the knockouts have dried up.