Robert Garcia, the trainer and manager of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, has challenged Naoya Inoue's team to send over a contract for a March showdown between the two pound-for-pound stars.

Negotiations for a superfight between Inoue and Rodriguez have stalled in recent weeks. The contest was first floated by Saudi boxing financier Turki Alalshikh, who expressed his desire to stage the fight in Japan following Inoue's victory over compatriot Junto Nakatani in May.

A meeting between the pair appeared increasingly likely when Rodriguez moved up to bantamweight in June, stopping Antonio Vargas to claim the WBA title and moving within one weight class of Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion. However, discussions subsequently quietened amid reports of financial difficulties in Saudi boxing and concerns over Alalshikh's health.

Talks have resumed in recent weeks, with Inoue insisting that Rodriguez must face him in March without taking an interim bout or risk missing out altogether as the Japanese star considers a move to featherweight.

Garcia had hoped Rodriguez could first face WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina on December 11 before stepping up to 122lbs, but Inoue has made it clear that he is unwilling to wait.

That stance has only strengthened Garcia's belief that Inoue may be wary of his fighter.

“Look, we’ve talked about it, and with Inoue saying, ‘There has to be no interim, he has to go straight to me.’ There’s some kind of rush and hurry – if [Inoue] can’t wait a few months, I think he wants to take advantage of ‘Bam’ not having that extra fight that I’m asking for – that gives me confidence that we can go straight into the fight,” Garcia told BoxingScene.

Rodriguez's promoter, Eddie Hearn, told BoxingScene on Wednesday that he is awaiting an offer from Inoue's promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, and that Rodriguez's team is prepared to proceed directly to a March showdown without an interim fight.

“I know Eddie Hearn is also available. Reach out to Eddie and we’ll finalize it. We’ll go straight into that fight if that’s how [Inoue] wants it,” said Garcia. “I have always said since ‘Bam’ became champion at 118lbs in June I would like more in October or November.

“Now it looks like it may not happen, we’re still hoping it will in December, but if we don’t have anything yet and if Inoue’s pushing for us not to have one, then [Inoue] has got something to worry about, because he doesn’t want us to have another fight. That favors ‘Bam’, getting one more at 118lbs with someone strong like Christian Medina, but if that’s Inoue’s worry then we’ll go straight into the fight. Make a phone call. That’s it.”

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