Junto Nakatani: record, next fight and profile →
WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani and Vincent Astrolabio went head-to-head after making weight, with Astrolabio pointing at the belt he hopes to take home
Junto Nakatani is one of the best boxers in the world, ranked #10 on Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list. He’s also one of the best bantamweights, ranked #1 by Ring and #2 by the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board
Jesse Rodriguez's KO of Juan Francisco Estrada felt like a passing of the torch, but was that their meeting's most resonant subtext? We asked our BoxingScene staff to highlight their key takeaway from Saturday’s superfight.
As we reflect on Naoya Inoue collecting the 2023 Fighter of the Year award and ready for Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ Saturday night defense, the weight debate moves to the forefront.
Junior featherweight undisputed champion Naoya "The Monster" Inoue, widely regarded as the one of the best fighters in the sport, is now facing the question: What’s next for the dominant champion?
WBC bantamweight champion and three-weight king Junto Nakatani will defend his strap against Filipino contender Vincent Astrolabio on Saturday, July 20, at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
Unbeaten WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani will make the first defense of his new belt July 20 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena against top-ranked contender Vincent Astrolabio, manager Sean Gibbons told BoxingScene.
Jason Moloney locks horns with Yoshiki Takei at a time when the bantamweight division will be in full swing. Moloney, 27-2 (19 KOs), will defend his 118-pound WBO world title against Japan’s Takei on the Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery undercard at the iconic 55,000 seater Tokyo Dome on May 6. On the same card Takuma Inoue puts his WBA bantamweight belt on the line against Sho Ishida, and old foe Emmanuel Rodriguez heads to nearby Osaka with his IBF title to face Ryosuke Nishida just two days prior.
Junto Nakatani is one of my favourite active fighters. On Saturday he produced a wildly impressive performance against a very-tough champion in Alexandro Santiago, who previously impressed when he won his title from Nonito Donaire. He was brilliant.
By Declan Warrington - Junto Nakatani became a three-weight world champion by easing to a sixth-round stoppage of Alexandro Santiago in Tokyo, Japan.