Robert Garcia rejects Bam Rodriguez-Junto claim

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Garcia was responding after comments from Rudy Hernandez suggested that Bam should go through Nakatani first, following Nakatani’s loss to Inoue at the Tokyo Dome last weekend. Garcia pointed out that Nakatani himself did not need to beat any of Inoue’s previous opponents before getting his title shot.

“So to fight Inoue, we have to earn it by beating Junto, who is Inoue’s last opponent. Which one of Inoue’s opponents did Junto beat to earn the fight?” Robert Garcia posted on X.

Robert trains 26-year-old former two-division world champion Bam Rodriguez and said he wants the Inoue fight outright. The bout became one of the biggest fights possible in the lower weight divisions after Inoue defeated Nakatani in front of a sold out crowd in Tokyo.

Garcia also brought up Sebastian Hernandez, who many fans believed deserved a rematch with Nakatani after their close fight in December 2025. Rudy Hernandez admitted after the Inoue loss that mistakes were made in the corner during the fight.

“And if we’re talking about being honorable and doing rematches, Sebastian Hernandez will want a word. Do the honorable thing Rudy,” Robert said.

Garcia’s comments reflect frustration on Bam’s part at the idea of ​​adding another hurdle before an Inoue fight. From his point of view, the Nakatani-Inoue fight was made without Nakatani himself having to clear that kind of requirement.

Robert Garcia questioned why Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) would have to beat Junto Nakatani to secure a fight with Naoya Inoue. Garcia pointed out that Nakatani hadn’t defeated any of Inoue’s previous opponents before getting his own shot. Garcia also mentioned Sebastian Hernandez and said Nakatani’s team should honor a rematch before talking about opportunities to “earn.”