Naoya Inoue’s Trainer and Father Urges Him to Retire Amid Bam Rodriguez Rumors

The Monster awaits his next target. After defending his undisputed title against Junto Nakatani, reports suggest talks for a matchup against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez are gaining traction.

After reportedly generating a record $32 million gate, Naoya Inoue continues to justify his place atop boxing’s pound-for-pound rankings. Yet while the boxing world looks ahead to even bigger fights, his father and trainer, Shingo Inoue, appears to see another path for his son.

“How many more fights does he need to have? It’s about time he retired already,” he reportedly told Yahoo! Japan News. “He can walk away cleanly while he’s still a legend and at his best.”

“I haven’t talked to him directly about it, but honestly, how many more fights does he need? It’s enough already. He can retire suddenly while still a legend and while he’s still great.”

Those comments came shortly after another major milestone in his son’s career. In front of a sold-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome, Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision.

Earlier on the same card, his younger brother Takuma Inoue also picked up a dominant win over former four-division champion Kazuto Ioka before Naoya entered what many viewed as the biggest fight of his career.

With so much success coming for the family in a single day, talk of early retirement naturally comes as a surprise.

Especially because discussions surrounding a Jesse Rodriguez fight continue to intensify.

Naoya Inoue’s future takes unexpected turn amid Bam Rodriguez talks

Just days after Inoue vs. Nakatani, Ring Magazine revealed that Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh plans to stage a fight between Inoue and unified 115-pound champion Jesse Rodriguez early next year in Japan.

Rodriguez himself also appears to be positioning for a future showdown with Inoue. The San Antonio native recently decided to move up a division and is now set to face WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas on June 13 in Glendale, Arizona.

The American star has already made clear that a fight against Inoue is one he eagerly wants.

“If that fight were presented to me now, I’d definitely go and take it,” Rodriguez told Ring Magazine’s Rick Reeno. “I think me against Inoue would definitely be one of the biggest fights in the lower weight divisions.”

“I love going to Japan anyways, so if I were to fight out there for the first time, that would be great.”

At the same time, reports also emerged that Inoue plans to cap his career at 126 pounds.

“I’ll have 2 more fights in super bantamweight. The fight against Junto Nakatani, and one more match I’d like to do,” Inoue reportedly said. “Once that’s over, it’s featherweight. Featherweight will be my final weight class challenge.”

That move to featherweight has already drawn a callout from WBC featherweight champion Brice Carrington.

The champion, who is set to defend his title against Rene Palacios on July 4, is already anticipating Inoue’s move into the division and stated that he has “figured out” the Japanese superstar after the Nakatani bout.

That alone makes Shingo Inoue’s retirement comments even more striking. Especially when the road ahead still appears loaded with marquee opportunities.

The apprehension likely stems from two factors. First, Inoue no longer appears to be the same fighter who trounced Nonito Donaire and many others.

Recent fights, including the bouts against Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas, saw him getting knocked down.

He turned 33 last month, which may explain why, despite his technical finesse, he no longer appears to be as quick as he once was.

Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, as a four-division champion with undisputed titles in two divisions, Naoya has already accomplished nearly everything possible in boxing.

With a Hall of Fame career already secured, some believe there is little left for him to prove.

Still, it remains too early to speculate. While his father may be viewing the situation from a more emotional perspective, the final decision rests with the champion himself, and the coming months should reveal what Inoue ultimately decides.