Shakur Stevenson believes Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has the style and power to give Naoya Inoue serious problems if their proposed fight comes together.
Inoue strengthened his pound-for-pound case last month with a unanimous decision win over Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome, defending his undisputed super bantamweight crown. With 122lbs largely cleaned out, talk has now shifted toward a possible fight with Rodriguez before Inoue eventually moves to featherweight.
Stevenson is backing Bam if the matchup happens. “I like Bam, I can’t go against Bam,” Stevenson told Matchroom Boxing. “I know Bam, Bam is my guy. I think that Inoue is a great fighter but I think that Bam may be his Kryptonite.”
The reason, according to Stevenson, is the southpaw angle. Inoue was dropped by left-hander Luis Nery, and Stevenson believes Rodriguez has enough power to do something similar. “I have seen him get dropped by a southpaw and I think that Bam punches hard enough where he could drop him too,” he said.
Rodriguez must first handle his own move up in weight, as he challenges Antonio Vargas for the WBA bantamweight title next weekend in Glendale, Arizona. If Bam wins, he is expected to call for Inoue, with Eddie Hearn already saying early talks have taken place and that Rodriguez would be willing to travel to Japan.
Image Credit: WBC