Junto Nakatani passed a stiff test in his first official fight as a junior bantamweight contender.
The unbeaten southpaw turned away a determined Francisco ‘Chihuas’ Rodriguez to claim a ten-round, unanimous decision win in their battle of former titlists. Scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 97-92 landed in favor of Nakatani in their non-title fight Tuesday evening (local time) at Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
A run at a second divisional title is now on the mind of Nakatani, who recently vacated his WBO flyweight title after having held the belt for nearly two years. His first fight against an established junior bantamweight provided a gauge of things to come at the new weight, as Mexico’s Rodriguez—a former unified IBF/WBO strawweight titlist—provided a stiff challenge for the unbeaten regional favorite.
Nakatani enjoyed a massive height and reach advantage, putting both to good use as he dropped his jab and long straight left on Rodriguez. The lack of a sustained body attack by Nakatani allowed Rodriguez to quickly work his way inside and force a brawl. Nakatani quickly adjusted, stepping back to avoid a wild right by Rodriguez and countered with a left hand upstairs just before the bell to end round two.
Both fighters drew separate warnings from referee Tetsuya Iida in an awkward round three. Nakatani was disciplined for frequently holding Rodriguez, who drew the scorn of the third man for lifting Nakatani off the canvas and carrying him around the ring during a clinch.
Nakatani was forced to contend with reddening outside his right eye and was clearly bothered by the pressure and persistence of Rodriguez. The former titlist did his best to adapt, planting his feet and dropping straight left hands with conviction on an onrushing Rodriguez at center ring. Rodriguez immediately returned fire, often missing wildly and leaving himself open for counters though he managed a few clean right hands upstairs.
Both fighters had their fair share of big moments in an action-packed round five. Rodriguez drew Nakatani at close quarters, swinging and connecting with right hooks while Nakatani was effective with his left uppercut. Time was called as Rodriguez drew another warning, this time for leading with his head.
Rodriguez finally exhausted the patience of referee Iida, losing a point in round seven for a ruled low blow.
The sequence seemed to slow down the pace of the bout, though both worked their way back into a groove in round eight. Rodriguez bullied his way inside, forcing Nakatani to plant his feet and throw power shots with conviction. Enough uppercuts and right hands landed to cause a cut over Rodriguez’s left eye. Rodriguez landed a long right hand to get the attention of Nakatani, who responded with an overhand left.
Rodriguez missed wildly with a right hook but immediately followed with a left hand to snap back the head of Nakatani midway through round nine. It was a singular moment of success, with Rodriguez slowed down and inactive prior to and following that point. Nakatani was the busier fighter by default, though action slowed as both fended off fatigue in hopes of saving up for a spectacular finish.
The pair of former titlists delivered on that front, letting their hands go in the final three minutes. Nakatani looked to use more movement as he threw long right jabs and straight left hands. Rodriguez responded with power shots on the inside, though it was Nakatani who gained a competitive edge as he landed in combination down the stretch.
Rodriguez falls to 36-6-1 (25KOs) with the defeat, as he has fully settled into the role of competitive gatekeeper. At his best, he ruled the strawweight division but success has been harder to come by in subsequent weight divisions. Rodriguez has fallen short in title bids against Donnie Nietes at junior flyweight and Kazuto Ioka at junior bantamweight. Tuesday’s win snaps a five-fight win streak for the 30-year-old slugger.
Nakatani surges to 24-0 (18KOs), coming in his first non-title fight since October 2019. The bout came just five days after Nakatani officially vacated the WBO flyweight title, citing an inability to any longer squeeze his 5’7 ½” frame into 112 pounds. Work remains ahead as he aims to compete in a talent-rich 115-pound division, though he adds a notable name to his resume in the meantime.
Headlining the four-fight telecast on ESPN+, Amazon Prime, DAZN and ESPN Knockout, WBC junior flyweight titlist Kenshiro Teraji (19-1, 11KOs) faces countryman and WBA ‘Super’ champ Hiroto Kyoguchi (16-0, 11KOs) in a highly anticipated title unification bout.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox