Another bantamweight title has made its way back to Japan.
Ryosuke Nishida dropped and outclassed Emmanuel Rodriguez to win the IBF bantamweight title. A strong start early, punctuated by a fourth-round knockdown, paved the way for a clear-cut unanimous decision. Scores were 117–110, 115-112 and 115-112 for Nishida in their ABEMA TV-aired main event Saturday at EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan.
Puerto Rico’s Rodriguez (22-3, 13 knockouts) entered the bout as The Ring’s number three-rated bantamweight.