By Joe Koizumi
Unbeaten southpaw speedster IBF#1 Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO), 118, astoundingly dethroned IBF bantamweight champ Emmanuel Rodriguez (22-3, 13 KOs), 117.75, by winning an upset unanimous decision (115-112 twice, 117-110) over twelve speedy rounds on Saturday in Osaka, Japan. Nishida, less experienced and less powerful, was an undoubted underdog, but produced such an upset with his cleverness and positiveness. Ryosuke, formerly a Kinki university amateur boxer, had upset ex-WBC flyweight champ Daigo Higa in his fourth pro bout, which made him enter the world ratings. Rodriguez, four years his senior at 31, might have underestimated the Japanese challenger due to his very low knockout ratio, and he was less aggressive only to aim at a solid counter at a time in the beginning of the contest. Nishida, on the other hand, diligently put on a workman-like aggression and took the initiative for the first two rounds. Though the champ was in command in round three, Nishida found it groundbreaking and effective to score with body attacks from the fourth, when he surprisingly dropped the Puerto Rican on hands and knees. Continue reading “Nishida upsets Rodriguez, wins IBF 118lb belt”
