“Having a champion accept my challenge was very satisfying,” Nakatani told BoxingScene. “It was nice to see since I wasn’t able to get the other champions in the ring [at flyweight and junior bantamweight]. 

“I know he’s coming in fully invested to win this fight. It’s now up to me to prepare even harder for [Nishida] than he is for me, to ensure that I am victorious.”

Nakatani-Nishida is set to headline a June 8 ESPN+ and Amazon Prime Video-Japan show from Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.

The scheduled 12-round WBC/IBF bantamweight title fight marks the first unification contest for either boxer.

The difference between the two is that Sagamihara’s Nakatani, 30-0 (23 KOs), enters such a scenario in his 10th major title fight across flyweight, junior bantamweight and bantamweight. Nishida, 10-0 (2 KOs), has only fought 10 times in total, with this forthcoming showdown marking his third title fight. 

Nakatani claimed his first belt at flyweight in a November 2020 knockout of Giemel Magramo. The unbeaten southpaw’s title reign lasted less than two years, hardly a surprise as his 5ft 8in frame was always on borrowed time at that weight. 

Just three fights came of his time at junior bantamweight – a non-title win over former strawweight belt holder Francisco Rodriguez Jnr and title fight wins over Andrew Moloney and Argi Cortes.

Nakatani has settled in nicely at 118lbs, a weight he insists is not a struggle to make despite his being abnormally tall for the division. The upcoming bout versus Nishida is already his fifth at bantamweight, dating back to his dominant sixth-round stoppage of Alexandro Santiago to win the WBC title in February 2024 at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

His most recent win was a third-round knockout of unbeaten David Cuellar on February 24 at nearby Ariake Arena. Nishida was in attendance and joined Nakatani in the ring to verbally accept his friendly challenge. 

Nakatani knew that he was going to push for the fight the moment he was done with Cuellar. That said, defending his title was his primary goal headed into that night. The rest just flowed from there. 

“I’ve always wanted a unification fight and knew that once I was able to defeat Cuellar, I could look forward to pursuing that next,” Nakatani recalled. “The matchup made it easier for me. 

“Cuellar had the right style, he came forward and it gave me the opportunity to get the early knockout.” 

It also cleared the way for Nakatani to maintain his high rate of ring activity, especially compared to most other titlists in this era.

Nishida represents the sixth former or current titlist that Nakatani will face – but the first in a situation where he can leave the ring with two belts.  

“I am very grateful that I have this unification,” Nakatani said. “I can’t look back at the fights that didn’t happen. This opportunity is in front of me now, and it’s up to me to make the most of it.”

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.