Junto Nakatani vying for third weight boxing World Championship this weekend

Do you want Naoya Inoue? Yeah? Well you’re going to like Junto Nakatani. After capturing a flyweight and super flyweight title in boxing, Nakatani is moving as much as bantamweight to go for his third championship. He might be taking over Alexandro Santiago on ESPN+ this weekend searching for that third title. Take a look at this guy’s highlights below:

Junto Nakatani: Fetching the violence

Junto Nakatani is currently 26-0 with 19 coming by the use of knockout. He’s battered many opponents at a high level, including Andrew Moloney for the WBO Super Flyweight title.

Santiago is not any walk within the park. With a 28-4-5 record, Santiago has beat fighters like Nonito Donaire, and took Gary Antoine Russell to a majority decision which he lost. He’s game and a difficult fight.

Nakatani could have a tricky challenge on his hands. But tough challenges are nothing latest for the Japanese sensation.

Firstly of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nakatani took on Giemel Magramo for the vacant WBO flyweight title, a fight he won via knockout in round eight. In his first defense, a bout with former flyweight champion Angel Acosta, where he broke his opponent’s nose and finish him in round eight.

In 2022, he moved as much as super flyweight and challenged Francisco Rodriguez Jr. for the WBO Super Flyweight title. He dominated and won that fight by decision. But Junto Nakatani wasn’t done at 115 just yet.

In 2023, Nakatani was ordered by the WBO to face reigning champion Kazuto Ioka. Ioka had other plans and vacated the belt to fight Joshua Franco. The WBO tapped Andrew Moloney to face Nakatani for the newly vacant title. Nakatani shined in that fight.

Over 12 rounds, he proceeded to beat up Moloney, dropping him several times and at last, with one punch, put him away in emphatic fashion in round 12.

Standing in his way might be one in all his tougher challenges so far: Alexandro Santiago.

The Alexandro Santiago problem

Alexandro Santiago doesn’t look like much of a challenge when taking a look at the chances of this fight. Nakatani has swelled to a -900 favorite leading you to imagine that he should easily outclass Santiago. Nakatani may go that; we’ve got no clue what his ceiling is just yet.

Santiago defeated 4 weight world champion Nonito Donaire. Granted, Donaire was 40 on the time, but Santiago took a choice to nab this belt that Junto Nakatani is now fighting for.

Alexandro Santiago took Gary Antonio Russell to a majority decision as well in a fairly close fights on the rating card.

I’m not attempting to say that Alexandro Santiago goes to be a threat to Nakatani come Saturday. What I’m saying is that Santiago has a knack for fighting at the next level than the chances suggest and he’s done so previously.

A Japanese boxing renaissance

Junto Nakatani fighting for his third world title in a distinct weight is just the most recent in a surging Japanese boxing movement.

In fact, Japanese boxing is currently led by Naoya Inoue. Inoue is a two weight undisputed champion and has won world titles in 4 weights. He beat Stephen Fulton and Paul Butler in a yr’s time to go undisputed twice in a yr which is unheard of timeframe clever.

Naoya Inoue will be the most well-known, and deservingly so with what he’s achieved. But there are other incredible fighters coming out of Japan as well.

Takuma Inoue is the WBA World Bantamweight champion and is the sibling of Naoya Inoue. Takuma Inoue defends his belt on Junto Nakatani’s undercard this weekend.

There’s also Kazuto Ioka who we mentioned earlier. Then there’s Kenshiro Teraji who already cemented a claim for Fight of the Yr in January when he beat Carlos Canizales instantly classic of a fight.

That’s just the champions. Featherweight and below are plagued by names like Reiya Abe, Ryosuke Nishida, and Kosei Tanaka. Not to say Tenshin Nasukawa, who’s now 3-0 after his insane kickboxing profession that capped off with a win over Takeru in 2022.

Boxing is back, baby!

As I’ve talked about previously, boxing is on a incredible winning streak straight away. The game is exciting because it’s been in many years. Champions are unifying and going undisputed. Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue are currently sitting with 4 belts. Crawford and Inoue have done it in a weight class below them.

Oleksandr Usyk was undisputed at cruiserweight before moving as much as heavyweight in 2018. Josh Taylor was undisputed in 2021. Jermall Charlo was undisputed at super welterweight before fighting Canelo Alvarez and being stripped. Devin Haney went undisputed at lightweight before moving as much as super lightweight to do it again.

There’s Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight fight and Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol on the horizon. Boxing is booming. Its the perfect that it’s been in ages. There are major fights throughout. If there’s any time to leap in, now’s the time.

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