Bruce Carrington explains why Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez can beat Naoya Inoue

While Carrington praised Bam’s skills, he also pointed to areas that may need further development ahead of a potential meeting with Inoue.

Carrington believes that Rodriguez’s movement and ability to disrupt an opponent’s rhythm make him a dangerous challenge for anyone.

“Bam, his footwork is just a problem for so many people,” Carrington told Fight Hub TV. “He uses his footwork, his upper body movement to offset a lot of people’s rhythm, create counters. He’s so good at just using his finesse and manipulating a guy’s rhythm all the time.”

Carrington did caution that Rodriguez may still be adjusting physically as he moves through the lower weight classes.

“I do think that Bam needs time to grow in these weight classes,” Carrington said. “There were few spells in that fight where I saw Vargas have some success. Bam can’t be caught with that with certain fighters, especially when he goes to fire at Inoue.

“There are certain things that he may need to tighten up and certain things that he may need to get stronger with as he continues to move up in his weight classes.”

Despite those concerns, Carrington still likes Rodriguez’s chances against one of boxing’s pound-for-pound.

“I do think that Bam has a real chance to beat Inoue,” Carrington said.

Inoue is coming off his win over Junto Nakatani, while Rodriguez remains one of the sport’s fastest-rising stars. Although no fight between the two champions has been announced, the match continues to generate interest among fighters and fans.