Jesse Rodriguez has weighed in on the upcoming clash between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, suggesting the highly anticipated bout could come down to a single decisive moment.
The two unbeaten Japanese stars are set to meet on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome, with Inoue defending his undisputed super-bantamweight titles for the seventh time. Since becoming a two-division undisputed champion in 2023 with a stoppage win over Marlon Tapales, Inoue has continued his dominant run, adding victories over Luis Nery, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and most recently David Picasso to move to 32-0 with 27 knockouts.
Nakatani, a former three-division world champion, enters the fight after stepping up to 122 pounds. His debut in the division saw him defeat Sebastian Hernandez by unanimous decision, though it proved to be a far more competitive contest than expected. Despite that, the 28-year-old brings strong credentials into what many view as his toughest test to date.
While much of the boxing world favors Inoue due to his experience and proven power at the elite level, Rodriguez believes the matchup is more evenly balanced than it appears on paper. He stopped short of making a firm prediction but emphasized how quickly the fight could turn.
“That’s a great fight,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like whoever lands the first big punch will become the winner.”
Image Credit: DAZN