Junto Nakatani: record, next fight and profile →
Naoya Inoue fell short of producing his routinely dynamic showings Tuesday when he successfully defended his claim as undisputed junior-featherweight champion by stopping veteran TJ Doheny in Tokyo.
Barring someone else scoring a shocking upset, the race for Fighter of the Year may be Oleksandr Usyk’s to win or lose.
When featherweight Angelo Leo ended proceedings in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 10 with a one-punch knockout win over Luis Alberto Lopez, the devastating result was described by many as a KO of the Year contender.
An extravaganza of seven title fights in two days is coming to Tokyo’s Ariake Arena Oct. 13-14 in Japan, with Junto Nakatani, Takuma Inoue and Kosei Tanaka, among others, starring on the bill.
Rudy Hernandez estimates he works 48 fight weekends out of the 52 on the calendar. Through his versatile trade as a trainer for WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) and WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs), as a prolific cutman for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Professional Fighters League (PFL) and in boxing, and as the big brother of the beloved late super-featherweight champion Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez, Rudy Hernandez has dedicated himself to combat sports for pure reasons.
Trainer Rudy Hernandez believes that three-division titleholder Junto Nakatani could one day face undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue, although no timeline has been set, and the thought of the matchup gives him a light-hearted scare.
Trainer Rudy Hernandez believes that three-division titleholder Junto Nakatani, who has held titles as a flyweight and junior bantamweight before becoming the bantamweight champion, will be the best he has ever trained.
Junto Nakatani, 26, who holds the WBC bantamweight title, is expected to make his ring return before the end of the year. Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs), from Sagamihara, Japan, defended his title last Saturday with a first-round stoppage over Vincent Astrolabio to improve to 7-0 in world title fights.
Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 knockouts) continued to audition for a pound-for-pound slot after a devastating first round KO win on Saturday at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. The Japanese Nakatani, 26, landed a straight left hand to the body of Vincent Astrolabio (19-4, 14 KOs) which sent the Filipino to the canvas and ended the bout abruptly.
Junto Nakatani made a successful first defence of his WBC bantamweight title – and a significant statement – by stopping Vincent Astrolabio in the opening round