“It’s a great fight. I feel that whoever lands the first big punch will be the winner,” Rodriguez told Boxing News.
The skepticism surrounding Junto Nakatani is at a peak after his 122-pound debut against Sebastian Hernandez in December. He was outscored 179 to 155 in the last six rounds and looked physically “human” for the first time.
Moving up to super bantamweight seemed to rob Nakatani of the fluid, giant under-man movement he had at 118. He was a stationary target for Hernandez’s body attack.
Hernandez showed that if you bully Nakatani and force him into a phone booth, he gives up his height advantage and tries to outmuscle people, which plays right into Naoya Inoue’s hands.
When Bam says “whoever lands first wins,” he’s probably looking at Nakatani’s specific anatomical advantages rather than his recent form. Even on a bad night, Nakatani has that erasing power. His strokes are sweeping and long. If Inoue gets reckless trying to close the distance, he could walk into a shot he never sees.
Inoue is highly technical and quick, but Nakatani is a natural southpaw who knows how to use his front hand to blindside opponents.
If Nakatani fights like he did in December, flat-footed and willing to trade, Inoue will likely stop him in six rounds.
Inoue, 33, is arguably the best body puncher in boxing, and Hernandez has already provided the road map for how to soften Nakatani’s middle.
Bam gives Nakatani the puncher’s chance respect, but unless Nakatani just had a bad night or was struggling with a one-time weight adjustment issue, he looks a step behind “The Monster” in every technical category.
