Junto Nakatani: record, next fight and profile →
Sunny Edwards is focused on securing a three-fight global tour which starts in Mexico later this year and ends on a “massive” night in Japan. The IBF flyweight champion is hoping to land a unification clash with WBC titleholder Julio Cesar Martinez and ‘Showtime’ is happy to travel his rival’s backyard for the fight.
Junto Nakatani battered Ryota Yamauchi throughout most of their one-sided, 112-pound title fight Saturday in Saitama, Japan. The rangy southpaw, who is unusually tall for his division, hurt and stopped his countryman in the eighth round of their scheduled 12-rounder on the Gennadiy Golovkin-Ryota Murata undercard at Saitama Super Arena. The unbeaten, 24-year-old Nakatani (23-0, 18 KOs) made the second defense of his WBO flyweight title and became the first fighter to stop Yamauchi inside the distance (8-2, 7 KOs).
Junto Nakatani hopes to accomplish as much as possible for however long he plans to remain at flyweight. Next up for the reigning WBO flyweight titlist is a return home, where Nakatani will face countryman Ryota Yamauchi (8-1, 7KOs) in a voluntary title defense. The bout takes place Saturday evening (local time) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, roughly an hour from Nakatani’s hometown in Sagamihara.
A pair of career middleweights are set for the division's biggest fight in more than three years. Gennadiy Golovkin and local hero Ryota Murata both made weight ahead of their anticipated IBF/WBA middleweight title unification bout. Both boxers weighed in right at the 160-pound divisional limit for their scheduled 12-round title fight, live on DAZN in the U.S. and Amazon Prime in Japan from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
It took nine title fights, and ten more rugged rounds, to send Japan’s Kenshiro Teraji to the ranks of former beltholders. It took three rounds for Teraji to remind everyone that anyone can have a bad night, especially in the aftermath of COVID. Saturday in Kyoto, Teraji brought the fight to his conqueror Masamichi Yabuki, stalking, feinting with the left, and setting up the most important right hand of his career.
Junto Nakatani will return home for his next title defense. BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the reigning WBO flyweight champ will next face countryman Ryota Yamauchi. The bout will serve as the co-feature to the already announced middleweight title unification clash between WBA “Super” titlist Ryota Murata (16-2, 13KOs) and IBF claimant Gennadiy Golovkin set for April 9 on DAZN from Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Chilean standout Andres Campos is geared up for his ring return, as the highly touted 112 pounder looks to set himself up for a world title clash in 2022.
It was shaping up as an action classic, but a Junto Nakatani left hand shattered Angel Acosta's nose in the bout's opening stages, and that spelled the beginning of the end for Acosta.
Officials felt Angel Acosta simply lost too much blood to continue in his WBO flyweight title fight Friday night. Referee Rocky Burke stopped his championship bout against defending champion Junto Nakatani because he determined that Acosta’s badly bloodied nose had become too dangerous early in the fourth round. Japan’s Nakatani retained his title, improved to 22-0 and recorded his 17th knockout on the Oscar Valdez-Robson Conceicao undercard at Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater in Tucson, Arizona.
Campos, who is guided by Australian manager Tony Tolj of Dragon Fire Boxing, has remained busy despite the worldwide COVID restrictions, having acted as a sparring partner to both Moloney brothers in Las Vegas prior to their respective contests in 2020 and 2021. The Chilean also picked up a win in his native Chile whilst awaiting a ring return.