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Bam Rodriguez done at 115, discusses 'inevitable' Inoue fight
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Bam Rodriguez done at 115, discusses 'inevitable' Inoue fight
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May 16, 2026
May 16, 2026
1 min read
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s days in the junior bantamweight division are over. 
“I'm done at 115,” Rodriguez revealed during a media workout Thursday at Central Boxing Gym in Phoenix.
Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs), currently The Ring, WBA, WBC and WBO 115-pound champion, is scheduled to make his 118-pound debut against WBA bantamweight titleholder Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) on June 13 in Glendale, Arizona.
In recent weeks, Rodriguez left room for debate about whether he would step back down to chase the last remaining title at 115 for undisputed status, held by IBF belt holder Willibaldo Garcia. But with a potential super fight against 122-pound undisputed champion Naoya Inoue gaining traction, Rodriguez is ready to move on to bigger and better things.
“I'm focused on one fight at a time,” said Rodriguez, who’s ranked No. 4 P4P by The Ring. “That's always been my mentality. People are talking about the Inoue fight so much, but that fight will never happen if I don't get past this one. This is the main goal – to get the win right now, and we can talk more about it.
“Antonio Vargas is a very good fighter. He's a world champion for a reason. He's fast and durable and comes to fight every time, so I am expecting a very tough fight.”
Arguably the toughest matchup left for the “Legend Slayer” Rodriguez is against the pound-for-pound king Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs), who earlier this month bested Japanese countryman Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision in Tokyo.
“It was a great performance,” said Rodriguez. “Inoue did what he had to do. It was a very technical fight. He came out the better man. ... I believe he did a great job, an A-plus performance beating another pound-for-pound fighter in Nakatani. I think that's one of his best wins.”
While Inoue has suggested that he wants to rest following a five-fight run in 17 months, Rodriguez’s career-long coach and manager Robert Garcia plans on building toward the Inoue fight by having Bam face his younger brother, WBC champion Takuma Inoue, later this year.
“That (Naoya Inoue) fight is inevitable," said Rodriguez. "But one fight at a time."
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.
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