Sandoval Puts Kenshiro Teraji vs Jesse Rodriguez Bout In Question
Japanese warrior Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji had envisioned a victory over the American Ricardo “El Nino” Sandoval as a stepping stone toward a potential 2026 clash with unified junior bantamweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. But El Niño had other plans. In one of the biggest upsets of 2025, Sandoval edged out Teraji via split decision (115-112, 117-110 Sandoval; 114-113 Teraji) at Yokohama Buntai Arena in Yokohama, Japan, to claim the unified flyweight world title.
The signs were ominous for Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) from the opening bell. The Amazing Boy started slow and looked unusually tentative. That allowed Sandoval (27-2, 18 KOs) to settle in early, find his rhythm, and land clean, effective combinations.
FIGHTING THROUGH ADVERSITY
In the opening minute of round five, a sharp right hand from Teraji dropped Sandoval to the canvas. At that moment, it felt like the local hero was about to take control and dominate, but that was far from the case. The challenger remained composed, held his ground, and matched Teraji punch for punch through the middle rounds. While Teraji was the aggressor, it was Sandoval who boxed with greater precision and landed the cleaner shots.
That pattern was held in the championship rounds. The Japanese crowd, hoping for another signature late surge from Teraji, grew restless but the 33-year-old couldn’t find the next gear. The urgency was there, but the sharpness wasn’t.
When the decision was announced, Teraji was visibly dejected. At 33, the signs of wear from a long and grueling career may finally be catching up to him. A high-profile showdown with Rodriguez now seems out of reach. His best and perhaps only option may be to pursue a rematch with Sandoval and attempt to reclaim his place atop the flyweight division.
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