Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi headlines midweek in Japan in a compelling IBF World Super-Featherweight Title fight. Check out our preview, fight prediction and much more ahead of Wednesday’s intriguing main event in the 130-pound division.
The IBF belt is vacant following Anto Cacace vacating, with either Sugar Nunez or Masanori Rikiishi being crowned the new super-featherweight champion of the world on Wednesday morning (ET).
SportsLens‘ guide below will tell you all you need to know when it comes to the Nunez vs Rikiishi world title fight this weekend.
Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi Preview
You can’t beat midweek boxing action, right? That’s what fans are in for this week as Eduardo Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi headlines in Yokohama, Japan in the early hours of Wednesday morning (ET).
The vacant IBF World Super-Featherweight Title is on the line in this compelling fight, which sees two of the best 130-pound fighters in the world compete to become world champion for the very first time.
The boxing world may still be digesting the return of the great ‘Pac Man’ with Manny Pacquiao’s next fight being officially announced after four years away from the ring, with this Nunez vs Rikiishki fight very much going under the radar.
The Mexican ‘Sugar’ Nunez is the single hardest hitting fighter in the super-featherweight division. Each of his 27 wins have come via knockout, and he is expected to do the same here at the A-side on Wednesday in Japan.
That being said, Masanori Rikiishi is highly regarded in his own right, and he too is a fairly big puncher. He will have of course have home advantage too, but whether that will be a factor or not remains to be seen.
Who will join Emanuel Navarrete, O’Shaquie Foster and Lamont Roach as the fourth world champion at 130-pounds this Wednesday? Time will tell!
Nunez vs Rikiishi Prediction
Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez is the favorite with boxing sportsbooks here, and rightly so. He has shown that he has the power to knock anyone out, as well as having the better wins on his resumé of late.
Nunez could well be the best fighter in the super-featherweight division, and will be looking to prove just that as he travels to face the hometown hero Masanori Rikiishi in Yokohama, Japan.
Rikiishi too is highly respected in the 130-pound division, but doesn’t have the same hype around him as Nunez. Although he is a world class fighter and supremely talented, it’s hard to see anything but another KO win for the Mexican.
Here at SportsLens, we are expecting a coming-of-age performance from Nunez on Wednesday. The whole world knows just how good he could be, and now he just has to prove it as he bids to become world champion at the first time of asking.
We fell he will do just that, systematically breaking the rough Rikishi down before securing the stoppage in the middle third of the fight.
SportsLens’ boxing expert prediction: Sugar Nunez to WIN via KNOCKOUT in Rounds 5-8
Eduardo Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi: Fight Info
- 🥊 Fight: Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi
- 📊 Records: Nunez (27-1, 27 KO’s) | Kameda (16-1, 11 KO’s)
- 📅 Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
- 🕛 Main Event Time: Approx. 6.30am ET
- 🏆 Titles: IBF World Super-Featherweight Title
- 📺 TV Channel: DAZN
- 🏟 Venue: Yokohama Buntai | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
What Time Is The Nunez vs Rikiishi Fight At?
The Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi fight is set to get underway at approximately 7.30pm local (Yokohama-shi) time.
This means that US fight fans will have to get up early on Wednesday morning if they want to watch this IBF World Super-Featherweight Title clash.
Yokohama-shi time is 13 hours ahead of ET, meaning that the estimated ring walk for Nunez vs Rikiishi would be really early in the morning.
With a 6pm local time ring-walk, this means that it will be an 6.30am (ET) start for fight fans in America.
The undercard action is set to get underway at approx. 3am (ET).
DAZN is the place to watch the Nunez vs Rikiishi fight and undercard action this week in over 200 countries worldwide. It is available as part of your regular DAZN subscription and doesn’t require any additional pay-per-view costs.
Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi Undercard
| Fight | Weight Class | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi | Super-Featherweight | 12 |
| Yoshiki Takei vs Yuttapong Tongdee | Bantamweight | 12 |
| Tsubasa Narai vs Yuna Hara | Super-Featherweight | 10 |
| Ryu Isogane vs Tomoya Yamamoto | Light-Flyweight | 8 |
| Ryuto Yamada vs Suriya Kaimanee | Super-Flyweight | 6 |
| Kazuma Aratake vs Kitidech Hirunsuk | Light-Flyweight | 6 |
Nunez vs Rikiishi: Tale of the Tape
| Eduardo Nunez | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Mexican | ||||||
| Age | 27 | ||||||
| Height | 5’6″ | ||||||
| Reach | 68″ | ||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||
| Total Fights | 28 | ||||||
| Record | 27-1 (27 KO’s) | ||||||
| Masanori Rikiishi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese | ||||||
| Age | 30 | ||||||
| Height | 5’9.5″ | ||||||
| Reach | 71.5″ | ||||||
| Stance | Southpaw | ||||||
| Total Fights | 17 | ||||||
| Record | 16-1 (11 KO’s) | ||||||
