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Bruce Carrington calls this '50/50' fight 'a match made in heaven'
It was only June 2024 when Naoya Inoue had a ringside seat at Madison Square Garden Theater to witness New York native Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington unload a barrage of punches toward an eighth-round knockout of Brayan De Garcia.
The immediate aftermath of the rousing victory had Carrington bow to Inoue in a sign of respect acknowledged by the pound-for-pound ruler.
Just when it looked like a meeting with ‘The Monster’ was within reach for Carrington, another fighter has emerged as a potential frontrunner to land the mega bout with the Japanese sensation — none other than Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
Carrington, 29, is all too aware of the upsurge in chatter about Rodriguez moving up to challenge the undisputed super bantamweight ruler. The talk only accelerated last month when Rodriguez vacated his super flyweight titles and crushed Antonio Vargas to become the new WBA bantamweight world titleholder.
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Defending his WBC featherweight world championship Saturday night against Rene Palacios in Cleveland, Ohio, and live on DAZN, Carrington isn’t giving up hope on a super fight with Inoue. However, he is facing the alternative head on, too.
“It’s a possibility 'Bam' might get it before me, which I’m kind of upset about … forget you, Bam!” he affirms to DAZN News over a recent Zoom session, erupting with a hearty laugh. “All love to 'Bam.' If he gets in there [against Inoue], I wish him all the best.”
So, how does Carrington project a possible collision course between ‘The Monster’ and ‘Bam’ to end? Though his native Brownsville, Brooklyn’s moniker is “never ran, never will,” ‘Shu Shu’ is sort of at a stalemate with his prediction.
“I give it a 50-50 chance,” he offered. “I think that ‘Bam’ has the skill to where the size won’t matter as much, but when it comes to Inoue, he’s very sharp from Round 1 to Round 12. So is 'Bam.'
“I think stylistically,” he continued, “it’s a match made in heaven.”
Since Inoue seemingly scouted Carrington just over two years ago, the undefeated boxing star only furthered his case for being the current pound-for-pound best by defending his undisputed super bantamweight crown six times, including a unanimous decision against fellow countryman Junto Nakatani in May. Meanwhile, Rodriguez became a unified super flyweight champ, adding the WBO and WBA titles after knocking out Phumelele Cafu and Fernando Martiez, respectively, before snatching the WBA 118-pound belt just last month.
Carrington fulfilled his dream of becoming a world champion in January, defeating Carlos Castro via ninth-round KO to capture the WBC featherweight strap.
Now, looking to record his first title defense, Carrington’s outlook regarding Inoue is simple.
“Inoue decides to move up,” he said, “I’m here.”
Who will ‘The Monster’ meet first?
Analysis: DAZN News’ Mark Lelinwalla
Who will get the opportunity first? I feel like there’s snowballing toward an Inoue-Rodriguez collision course that has superseded the thought of ‘The Monster’ and ‘Shu Shu’ at the moment. I believe both men would have success against Inoue, though. The two times we’ve seen Inoue get dropped, ‘The Monster’ has shown some susceptibility to a counter left hand.
‘Bam’ is a southpaw with superb footwork, which would aid in catching Inoue cleanly in traffic. Carrington, a division higher than Inoue, is certainly capable of generating enough power with a counter to make the Japanese star taste the canvas as well. As blistering of a punching force that Inoue is, he has shown vulnerability in moments that a phenom like ‘Bam’ or new world champion in ‘Shu Shu’ could further exploit.
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