Kosei Tanaka's scheduled WBO junior bantamweight title defense in Tokyo was canceled after his opponent, Jonathan Rodriguez, came in 6.25 pounds overweight. Tanaka weighed in at 114.8 pounds, while Rodriguez tipped the scales at 121.25 pounds, leading to the fight being called off.
Tanaka expressed his disappointment in a statement, mentioning that he would not be stepping into the ring with gloves but with a microphone instead. He apologized for the unfortunate turn of events, indicating the unexpected change in plans.
Tanaka, with a record of 20-1 and 11 knockouts, holds the No. 5 spot in ESPN's rankings for the 115-pound division. On the other hand, Rodriguez, with a record of 25-2-1 and 17 knockouts, is currently unranked in the same weight class.
The 29-year-old Tanaka has been on a winning streak, securing victories in his last five fights following his sole defeat against Kazuto Ioka in December 2020. The defeat came in the form of an eighth-round TKO during a title fight.
The bout was originally set to be part of the ESPN+ undercard for the Junto Nakatani-Vincent Astrolabio bantamweight title fight. Both Nakatani and Astrolabio successfully made weight, coming in under the 118-pound limit.
Additionally, Riku Kano and Anthony Olascuga also met the weight requirements for their 112-pound title fight, ensuring that their bout would proceed as planned.
