Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez’s audacious challenge for Naoya Inoue’s undisputed super-bantamweight throne seems to be back on the cards, and his trainer Robert Garcia has revealed how the Texan has been secretly preparing for the pound-for-pound superstar.

Ever since Inoue’s outstanding triumph over Junto Nakatani back in May, ‘The Monster’ has been hotly linked to, and patently waiting for, a clash with Rodriguez, despite the latter boxing at super-flyweight at the time of that Inoue win.

In the time that has followed, Rodriguez has made the move up to bantamweight and dethroned Antonio Vargas to get his hands on the WBA 118lb title, but he had also been mentioned for an additional unification bout with Christian Medina, prior to a shot at Inoue.

Inoue then threatened to move on from the bout and up to featherweight, leading to Rodriguez’s plans to take on Medina to be thrown into doubt.

It looks as though the blockbuster bill could take place at the Fukuoka Dome in March but – despite rumours of his cancelled bantamweight outing – Robert Garcia told ESNEWS that he has been building Rodriguez into a true 122lber during his time away from the ring.

“We’ve been working for Bam to be a 122lber. He [Inoue] doesn’t know that. When they go in the ring, they’re going to be the same size. He knows how talented Bam is. He knows that Bam is going to catch him.” 

Whatever the result against Rodriguez, a move to featherweight looks sure to follow for Inoue, where the pound-for-pound king could become the first ever Japanese five-division world champion and the seventh quintuple champion in the history of boxing.