Naoya Inoue reveals his final major career goal

Undisputed world champion Naoya Inoue has made an important statement regarding the next stage of his career. The Japanese boxer expressed his readiness to accept a new and serious challenge rather than remaining in his current weight class.

Inoue's plan depends on one opponent. If he cannot secure a fight with the highly anticipated Jesse Rodriguez , he may not limit himself to just defending his championship belts.

A door to a new weight class has opened for Inoue

Inoue emphasized that his current position has not changed. However, if a potential fight with Jesse Rodriguez is not organized, he is seriously considering the option of moving up to a higher weight class.

“Actually, my position hasn't changed. If a fight with Jesse Rodriguez cannot be arranged, I will consider moving up to the featherweight division,” said Inoue.

This statement means that a new chapter could open in the Japanese star's career.

“Safe fights” do not interest Inoue

Inoue understands well that he is approaching a decisive phase of his career. Therefore, he does not want to spend his remaining two or three years being cautious in choosing opponents.

“I don't want to spend the last two or three years of my career on safe ‘games.’ I want to move up to a heavier weight class and set a new challenge for myself,” the Japanese boxer told The Ring.

For Inoue, this is not just a simple weight change. The Japanese champion aims to test himself once again at the highest level.

Why is the Rodriguez fight important?

The name Jesse Rodriguez holds special significance in Inoue's future plans. If this clash happens, the Japanese boxer will have the opportunity to remain in his current weight class.

Otherwise, another option appears before him:

• moving up to a higher weight class;

• facing new opponents;

• testing his championship status in another weight division;

• dedicating the final years of his career to high-level fights.

In this respect, the fate of the fight with Rodriguez could determine the future direction of Inoue's career.

How did Inoue's last fight end?

Naoya Inoue fought his last bout against Junto Nakatani. In the highly anticipated clash, two famous Japanese boxers tested each other's strength in the ring.

At the end of the fight, Inoue won by a judges' decision on points.

This result once again demonstrated his desire to continue competing at the highest level.

Now the main question is — where will Inoue move?

The undisputed world champion has two potential paths: organizing the expected clash with Jesse Rodriguez or moving up to a higher weight class to accept a new challenge.

The signal given by Inoue himself is clear: he does not want to spend the rest of his career with easy opponents.

Therefore, if the fight with Rodriguez does not happen, the next big goal for Naoya Inoue will be to test himself in a higher weight class. This could become one of the most serious and interesting new stages in his professional career.