Teraji eyes 115-pound titles if Rodriguez vacates for Inoue

Former two-division world champion Kenshiro Teraji plans to campaign at junior bantamweight and chase vacant titles if Bam Rodriguez vacates to face Naoya Inoue in early 2027.

Teraji, who lost his IBF title shot in December when Willibaldo Garcia withdrew hours before the bell due to illness, told The Ring Magazine he sees opportunity at 115 pounds with Rodriguez potentially moving up. "If [he vacates], then yeah, it could create a chance for me, which I'd be grateful for," Teraji said. "I did want to fight Bam, but that seems unlikely, so my immediate goal is to win a belt at [junior bantamweight]."

Teraji's path forward after Saudi Arabia setback

The Kyoto native described the Ring V cancellation in Riyadh as devastating — possibly worse than an actual defeat — but said he has moved past the disappointment. Garcia will now defend against IBF mandatory challenger Andrew Moloney on June 6 in Japan, a development Teraji called "a bit unfair" given the IBF's decision to skip over him. He acknowledged he has no interest in returning to flyweight for a rematch with Ricardo Sandoval, who outpointed him in July to take his WBA and WBC belts.

At 34, Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) mentioned Fernando Martinez and Japanese prospect Tomoya Tsuboi as potential opponents at junior bantamweight. "They're both well-known fighters, so I'd be happy if a fight with either of them gets made," he said, per The Ring. Martinez lost his only career bout to Rodriguez last November and holds a ranking at 115 pounds, while Tsuboi sits at No. 4 in the division.

Rodriguez faces WBA bantamweight titleholder Antonio Vargas on June 13 in San Antonio before any potential showdown with Inoue. Teraji said he remains in hard training and hopes to return to competition soon after months away from the ring.

Source: ringmagazine.com