For the second time this week, plans are in place for the first major title fight since the pandemic.
The latest effort appears to move forward without a hitch, as Giemel Magramo and Junto Nakatani both made weight for their vacant flyweight title fight. Their scheduled 12-round main event takes place Friday at the famed Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Manila’s Magramo (24-1, 20KOs) weighed 111 ½ pounds for just his third career fight outside of his native Philippines. Nakatani (20-0, 15KOs)—an unbeaten contender from Sagamihara, Japan—checked in at 111 ¾ pounds for his first career title fight.
The two will vie for the vacant flyweight belt left behind by Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9KOs), who remains in pursuit of countryman and 115-pound titlist Kazuto Ioka in a bid to become a four-division title claimant.
Magramo enters the ring riding a seven-fight win streak—all inside the distance—since suffering a narrow points loss to Muhammad Waseem in November 2016. The loss was one of two previous fights coming on the road, with Magramo coming up big in a 10th round stoppage of unbeaten Wenfeng Ge last January in Suzhou, China.
Friday’s title bid marks the first fight for Magramo since a 3rd round stoppage of Richard Claveras last September in Taguig City, Philippines.
Nakatani enjoyed a career-best year in 2019, scoring three knockout wins before seeing the world shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus. The biggest win to date for the 22-year old lefty came in his most recent start, scoring a 6th round stoppage of former junior flyweight titlist Milan Melindo last October at this very venue.
The upcoming title fight will mark the 16th time in just 23 ring appearances at Korakuen Hall for Nakatani, whom enters his first scheduled 12-round contest.
Once the opening bell sounds, Japan will have hosted its first title fight since allowing the sport as a whole to return earlier this summer.
That moment was supposed to come earlier this week in a scheduled clash between reigning junior flyweight titlist Hiroto Kyoguchi and Thailand’s Thankongsak Simsri. Their bout was to headline this past Tuesday with fans in attendance at Intex Osaka in Osaka, Japan, only for the show as a whole to get shut down after Kyoguchi and his head trainer both tested positive for COVID-19.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox