Overweight Rodriguez cancels Tanaka’s WBO 115lb title defense
By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
The weigh-in ceremony was held at Tokyo Dome Hotel, and everything was alright except that of the WBO 115-pound title bout of defending champion Kosei Tanaka (115 at the limit) and challenger Jonathan Rodriguez of Mexico who was terribly overweight by 2.9 kilogram (some 6.4 pounds) at 55 kg (121.25 lbs). Rodriguez couldn’t reduce his weight even an ounce. Tanaka himself was once willing to fight even if his opponent was overweight, but it was duly cancelled since Rodriguez was much heavier than the bantam limit and close to the super bantam limit.
The other weigh-in results were as follows:
WBC bantamweight title bout (main event)
Junto Nakatani 117.5
Vincent Astrolabio 117.5
WBO flyweight title bout for the vacant championship
Riku Kano 112
Anthony Olascuaga 111.5
Tenshin Nasukawa 120
Jonathan Rodriguez 119.25
Promoter: Teiken Promotions
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Barely makes jr featherweight for a jr bantamweight fight.
Fighters like Tanaka work hard and get in shape, taking for granted that the opponent will do the same. To not even come close and unable to lose a single ounce is unacceptable. My condolences to the champ.
Speaking of not making weight, I found by accident earlier today (wasting time scrolling on Boxrec) that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., another guy known for coming in overweight, is fighting tomorrow. That went totally under the radar.
I’m to the point where I think a missed weight should count on the fighters records as a technical DQ.
Honestly, I believe the Jonathan Rodriguez team should be sued for fraud and criminal action against a person because they knew about his overweight and never said anything; instead, they were planning to squeeze him to make the weight limit. We just saw recently what happened to Alimkhanuly. Now, imagine how much overweight Rodriguez had when he arrived in Japan; if at the weight in, he was almost 7 pounds over.
Too hard to prove in a court of law. Civil penalty and damages: fine and suspension (6 months — 1 year, depending on severity). But probably the whole system of weight dropping should really be changed for the safety of the fighters.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t astrolabio lose to one of the moloney brothers? Now, he is fighting nakatani? Game over, knockout by the sixth.
He most certainly did and I think it was a majority decision, but I remember watching that fight and I literally scored it 10-2 for Moloney. Astrolabio didn’t do a thing but follow him around the entire fight looking for an uppercut. This is a mandatory and a showcase for Nakatani.
Nakatani is too much for Astrolobio. A clear mismatch for me.