TRAINING DAY Rudy Hernandez By Adam Abramowitz
“I failed Junto.” Those are the words of Rudy Hernandez, Junto Nakatani’s trainer, when he reflects on the fight against Naoya Inoue. It was one of the most consequential boxing events of 2026, a fight for undisputed status at junior featherweight. But more than that, it was for bragging rights among the two best fighters in Japan. 55,000 fans sold out the Tokyo Dome; it was the sport on its grandest stage. Inoue won the fight with scorecards of 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113, and while those tallies reflect the competitive
and Ryosuke Nishida, Nakatani started the Inoue fight far more methodically. And that was a strategy developed by Hernandez. “I asked Junto to change his approach for this fight,” said Hernandez, “because starting fast is what Inoue would have expected, and they would be ready for it. I wanted more of a tactical fight than a brawl.” The first half of the fight was the definition of cagey. There were few combinations of note, and rounds were most often determined by single hard shots. And as the rounds progressed,
nature of the match, it fails to tell the story of what could have been for Nakatani. Unlike his recent performances against Sebastian Hernandez
Inoue’s quicker punches, especially his straight right hand, were giving him the upper hand. “After the seventh round,” said Hernandez, “Junto came back to the
(Right) Hernandez with Junto Nakatani and a beaten Andrew Moloney.
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