That’s why it was hard to watch the Kyoto-born warrior in emotional turmoil in December when his IBF junior bantamweight title shot fell through at the 11th hour. Defending titleholder Willibaldo Garcia fell sick following the weigh-in and was pulled from the show.

Teraji and his team were inconsolable in the lobby of the fighter hotel as they awaited transport to the airport. A career-high payday was lost at Ring V in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — which featured Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani in separate bouts — while months of training had come to nothing.

“It felt pretty devastating at the time. It might have hit me harder than actually losing a fight,” said Teraji via translator. “Now I’m focused on what’s next and training hard, so I don’t think it’s something I’ll dwell on.

“My fight in Saudi Arabia was supposed to be my first overseas bout, although it ended up being canceled. I’d still like to experience fighting abroad at least once, so if an opportunity comes up, I’d be happy to take it.”

Unfortunately, Garcia vs. Teraji could not be rescheduled. The IBF’s mandatory challenger, Andrew Moloney, is scheduled for a world title shot with Mexico’s Garcia on June 6 on Japanese soil.

“I do think it’s a bit unfair, but the IBF made the decision, so there’s not much I can do about it,” said Teraji with a sigh. “I think the winner [of Garcia vs. Moloney] will probably end up fighting Bam Rodriguez.”

It might come as a surprise to some, but Teraji is far from being a boxing fan. The ex-champ was completely unaware that plans are already afoot for Rodriguez to be matched against newly minted pound-for-pound king Inoue in early 2027.

First, Rodriguez has to overcome WBA bantamweight titleholder Antonio Vargas on June 13 in his hometown of San Antonio. If he does, then Teraji may be well-placed to contest one of the vacant 115-pound titles that he leaves behind.

“If [he vacates], then yeah, it could create a chance for me, which I’d be grateful for,” said Teraji, his eyes widening. “I did want to fight Bam, but that seems unlikely, so my immediate goal is to win a belt at [junior bantamweight].

Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) has no interest in avenging July’s heartbreaking points loss to Ricardo Sandoval, surrendering his WBA and WBC flyweight titles. Reading between the lines, the 34-year-old boxer-puncher’s move up in weight might be a necessity at this point.

There are some interesting options at 115 pounds. Among them are ex-titleholder Fernando Martinez, who suffered his only loss to Rodriguez in November, and Teraji’s countryman Tomoya Tsuboi, who has been fast-tracked to No. 4 in The Ring’s 115-pound ratings.

“I’m not in a position where I’m holding a world title, so I haven’t really been in a spot to choose opponents,” he said. “They’re both well-known fighters, so I’d be happy if a fight with either of them gets made.

“I’m doing a lot of sparring and working on different styles for my next fight. It’s been enjoyable and fulfilling. That said, I’ve been away from competition for a while, so I do feel like I need to get back in the ring soon.”

Despite his recent run of luck, Teraji remains one of the most decorated fighters in Japanese boxing history. “The Amazing Boy” is 16-2 in world title bouts and unified at 108 and 112. He held the Ring Magazine junior flyweight crown and also appeared briefly in the pound-for-pound top 10.