Three judges had read the script that had been written ahead of 2026. The fight so many in boxing wanted, between Junto Nakatani and Naoya Inoue, stayed alive courtesy of one of the year’s worst scorecards in a fight that was on course to be both an Upset of the Year and a Fight of the Year contender.
The WBO is the second sanctioning body to name Junto Nakatani as its No. 1 contender at junior featherweight even though the rising three-division titleholder has yet to compete at 122lbs.
Cortes entered the night as the front-runner to meet the winner of Emanuel Navarrete-Charly Suarez. After the fight, he might instead be on the outside looking in.
Emiliano Vargas’ candidacy for Prospect of the Year gained a sharp boost Friday in the complete, varied showing he produced in knocking out Ireland’s Larry Fryers in the fifth round.