Junto Nakatani is building pound-for-pound recognition

By Oscar Pick

JUNTO Nakatani is certainly one of boxing’s most under-appreciated gems. Whenever he enters the ring, an electrical efficiency is all the time assured. Yet, in the case of discussing the game’s mainstream sights, his title hardly ever will get talked about.

The 26-year-old is a three-weight world champion, ranked 10th on the Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound listing and stays undefeated after delivering 27 one-sided beatdowns. 

Rather than labouring to a straight-forward victory on factors, although, Nakatani prefers to entertain his followers by, at instances, taking pointless dangers.

Even when he comes up towards top-level opposition, the WBC bantamweight champion will typically lead with audacious hooks and uppercuts from far out of vary, demonstrating that he is all the time in management and might, due to this fact, check the boundaries as and when it fits him. 

He has, in any case, revealed no indicators of vulnerability, breezing previous each acid check with seemingly no worry of working into hazard.

Before transferring as much as 118 lbs, Nakatani sealed his legacy at super-flyweight after pulverising former world title challenger Andrew Moloney with a superbly timed overhand left, awarding him The Ring’s coveted knockout of the yr prize in 2023. 

Then, in his final outing towards Alexandro Santiago earlier this yr, the Japanese sensation ended proceedings, as soon as once more, together with his sniper of a left hand, stopping the previous Mexican champion within the sixth spherical.

This Saturday (July 20), Nakatani will make the primary defence of his belt towards Vincent Astrolabio, headlining a triple header of world title fights in Japan. 

Astrolabio’s most notable win got here towards a pale Guillermo Rigondeaux again in 2022, when he outpointed the as soon as fearsome operator with an exuberant however restricted show.

There have been, the truth is, giant spells of the competition when the Filipino struggled to negate the motion of Rigondeaux who, regardless of being 16 years his opponent’s senior, had no hassle when it got here to utilising his educated footwork to search out exits out of the pocket.

Nevertheless, Astrolabio used this efficiency – adopted by a extra complete stoppage over Nikolai Potapov – as a springboard to earn himself a world title shot towards Jason Moloney final yr. 

But, whereas he was aggressive all through the combat, the 27-year-old swiftly ran out of concepts throughout the center rounds, permitting Moloney to take over and safe a majority choice down the stretch.

As bleak as this may increasingly sound, it is tough, based mostly on his current performances, to see Astrolabio holding a major benefit over Nakatani. 

With energy arguably being his best attribute, he is more likely to be, nonetheless, totally outgunned by his vastly extra expert opponent, who is not solely heavier-handed but in addition units up his photographs with glorious vary management.

For Nakatani, then, one other scintillating knockout is firmly on the playing cards, and whereas it could be unwise to miss Astrolabio fully, there is definitely a temptation for him to think about potential unifications with the remaining bantamweight champions within the land of the rising solar.

Elsewhere on this weekend’s card, four-weight world champion Kosei Tanaka will make the primary defence of his WBO super-flyweight strap towards Jonathan Rodriguez. 

Since his eighth-round stoppage defeat to Kazuto Ioka again in 2020, Tanaka has reignited his adorned profession with 5 spectacular wins on the bounce.

The 29-year-old picked up his newest trinket at 115 lbs following a dominant unanimous choice victory over Christian Bacasegua earlier this yr, showcasing an arsenal of sharp counterpunches coupled with a number of elusive manoeuvres.

His opponent, in the meantime, might be combating exterior of Mexico for less than the second time in his profession. 

Rodriguez examined himself towards former long-reigning IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas in Connecticut in 2021. After displaying super grit and willpower to go the space, he finally suffered his second defeat as an expert.

The same story is more likely to unfold when he faces Tanaka, one other seasoned champion who, like Nakatani, will little question be seeking to unify his division within the close to future. 

But with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Fernando Daniel Martinez – two aggressive, explosive and, in fact, formidable opponents – occupying the remaining belts, a transfer as much as bantamweight, the place he can change into a five-division world champion, might be a extra smart choice.