Three world titles will be contested in the massive boxing card in Kokugikan, Japan. For instance, Kosei Tanaka will attempt his first defense of the WBO junior bantamweight title against Jonathan Rodriguez. This will be an intense contest. Here is our Tanaka vs Rodriguez prediction.
Tanaka vs Rodriguez Prediction: The Champion is a Huge Betting Favorite
Kosei Tanaka Preview
Kosei Tanaka is already a legend of the sport, despite being only 29 years old. He recently broke Oscar De La Hoya’s long-standing record as the fastest four-division champion in boxing history. He needed only 21 fights to win a world title in every weight class from mini flyweight to super flyweight.
The Tajimi native rides a professional record of 20-1 and has 11 knockouts. The ‘Monster of Chukyo’ is 164 centimeters tall and has the same reach.
He began his professional career in 2013 and challenged for his first world title as early as his fifth outing. He defeated Julian Yedras for the WBO mini-flyweight belt. A year later, he became a double champ after defeating Moises Fuentes for the vacant WBO junior flyweight championship.
After two successful defenses, he decided to move up again and faced Sho Kimura, defeating him via majority decision for his WBO flyweight belt. And most recently, Tanaka defeated Christian Bacasegua to win the vacant WBO super flyweight belt.
His only defeat occurred when he contested for this same belt in 2020 and got knocked out in the 8th round by Kazuto Ioka.
Kosei Tanaka has knockout power but his style evolved over the years and he no longer rushes forward all the time like he did in his early days. This is the main reason why analysts expect to see a long fight on Saturday. But before we give our Tanaka vs Rodriguez prediction, let’s take a closer look at the challenger.
Jonathan Rodriguez Preview
Jonathan Rodriguez is a Mexican boxer who rides a 25-2-1 professional record. He stands at 165 centimeters tall but his reach is 169 cm, which gives him the edge over the champion.
‘Titan’ made his professional debut in 2015 and quickly rose through the local ranks, defeating all the best Mexican talents. He suffered his first defeat in 2018 when he faced Jose Martin Estrada Garcia and lost via split decision.
Rodriguez won the following six fights, which earned him the right to fight for the IBF super flyweight title against Jerwin Ancajas. This was his second defeat and the last one to date.
While he already has the experience of fighting for world honors in the past, Rodriguez has not been very active in recent years and his form is questionable. He fought only once in 2023 and barely got to a split decision draw against Israel Gonzalez. His last win came in late 2022 via a close decision against the inexperienced Juan Ramirez Marquez.
Our Kosei Tanaka vs Jonathan Rodriguez Prediction: Longer Than Anticipated
Both fighters have experience but Tanaka has been fighting only title fights for a decade. He has faced most of the best boxers in several weight classes. He stands out with his speed and technical skills while Rodriguez definitely has more power.
However, the Mexican has not been active in recent years and his few performances raised many questions. Tanaka is in his absolute prime and while we do not expect a knockout, he should win comfortably on points. Our final Tanaka vs Rodriguez prediction is for a decision win for the champion.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
