KOSEI Tanaka will not defend his WBO super-flyweight title in Japan tomorrow after his opponent, Jonathan Rodriguez, completely missed the 115-pound weight limit.
Champion Tanaka, 20-1, 11 KOs, made the weight fine, but Rodriguez came in at 121.5 lbs and declined the invitation to try to get down any closer.
The Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) don’t take kindly to such flagrant acts of unprofessionalism and are unlikely to welcome Mr Rodriguez back to their shores anytime soon.
Tanaka, 29, won the title in April, beating Christian Bacasegua on points. His sole career loss came to Japanese legend Kazuto Ioka in 2020.
Main eventer Junto Nakatani still defends his title against Vincent Astrolabio, while Tenshin Nasukawa and Riku Kano feature.
