Junto Nakatani targets bantamweight unification, calls out Naoya Inoue

Undefeated WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani is targeting a unification bout following an emphatic win over Philippines’ Vincent Astrolabio.

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 Astrolabio (19-4, 14 KOs) which sent the Filipino to the canvas and ended the bout abruptly.

The win earned Nakatani his first WBC 118 pounds title defense.

“I thought this was going to be a long fight,” said the three-division titlist. “Luckily I landed that punch early to end the fight.”

With the defeat, Astrolabio, 27, is yet to win a world championship fight having lost to Jason Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs) last May despite giving a good account of himself.  The 27-year-old Filipino gave his all during the WBO title fight in California but lost a majority decision.

Three months later, Astrolabio fought his way back into title contention when he recorded an 11th round stoppage win over Thailand’s Navapon Khaikanha (60-4-1, 50 KOs).

Nakatani has held world titles at flyweight, junior bantamweight, and bantamweight. He first became a flyweight champion in November 2020 with a KO win over Giemel Magramo. After two successful defenses, he vacated the belt and moved to 115 pounds to challenge Andrew Moloney for the vacant WBO junior bantamweight belt which he won by a 12th round KO.

He made a successful defense of the title and opted to challenge Mexico’s WBC bantamweight beltholder Alexandro Santiago (28-4-5, 14 KOs). Nakatani triumphed with a sixth-round TKO victory.

Meanwhile, the successful defense of his WBC bantamweight title provides Nakatani with an option to unify the division which he has on his radar. He would have to slug it out with compatriots Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO), Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs), and Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) if he wants to be a unified and undisputed champion.

While Nishida holds the IBF belt, Inoue is the WBA titleholder. Takei on the other hand won the WBO crown from Jason Maloney last May. Nakatani could have a perfect chance at facing undisputed 122-pound champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue if he can sweep all the other bantamweight titles and become an undisputed champion.

When asked of his plans after the win, Nakatani said “I would like to unify the titles or move up to [122] to win the championship there,” he said. “The fight with [Naoya] Inoue is the one I really want. A lot of people are really expecting this fight. I will continue to get stronger and will be ready for that fight.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].