Junto Nakatani continues to plead his case as a pound-for-pound expertise.
The most recent show supplied by the three-division titlist was a statement-making first-round knockout of the Philippines’ Vincent Astrolabio. A straight left hand to the physique put Astrolabio down to finish the combat at 2:37 of the primary spherical Saturday at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
With the win, Nakatani (28-0, 21 knockouts) lodged the primary protection of his WBC bantamweight title.
“I assumed this was going to be a protracted combat,” Nakatani admitted by means of translator Mizuka Koike. “Fortunately I landed that punch early to finish the combat.”
It was a good assumption by the 26-year-old from Kanagawa, Japan. Astrolabio (19-6, 14 KOs) was solely stopped as soon as earlier than in his profession and is usually constructed to final.
The visiting Filipino, No. 7 at 118 by The Ring, gave Jason Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs) all he might deal with of their WBO title combat final Might in Stockton, California. Moloney, No. 6 at 118, gained by majority choice, however Astrolabio shortly made his manner again to the title image.
Nakatani gained the WBC 118-pound title in a sixth-round knockout of Alexandro Santiago on Feb. 24 at Ariake Area in Tokyo. He instantly grew to become The Ring’s No. 1 rated bantamweight and can also be No. 10 pound-for-pound.
At the least till the following rankings replace.
Nakatani, a 5’8″ southpaw, has triggered model suits for opponents by means of three weight divisions. He used his top and attain benefit to maintain the 5’5″ Astrolabio in his desired punching vary.
Astrolabio loved temporary success with a proper hand early within the bout. Nakatani relied on his lengthy jab to fend off his aggressive challenger. He additionally landed sufficient left arms to maintain him trustworthy and arrange his subsequent transfer.
Then got here the sudden ending.
Nakatani positioned Astrolabio close to the ropes earlier than he related with a straight left simply above the beltline. Astrolabio paused earlier than he sank to the canvas. Referee Thomas Taylor issued the necessary eight depend and was ready to permit the bout to proceed. That modified as soon as Astrolabio dropped again all the way down to the deck, which prompted an instantaneous stoppage.
The win superior Nakatani’s file to 7-0 (6 KOs) in title fights at flyweight, junior bantamweight and bantamweight. Argi Cortes (26-4-2, 10 KOs) is the one boxer to go the gap with Nakatani in a significant title combat.
Astrolabio is now 0-2 in main title fights, each coming inside his final three fights.
Subsequent on the agenda of the red-hot rising star is a unification bout, which he hopes shall be simple to make. All 4 main bantamweight titlists reside in Japan and symbolize The Ring’s high 4 on the weight. Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO; No. 2 at 118) holds the IBF belt. Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs; No. 3) is the WBA titleholder. Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs; No. 4) dethroned Moloney in Might to win the WBO belt.
In an ideal world, Nakatani would unify versus Nishida to crown a brand new RING champion. He might additionally face Inoue earlier than or after that combat, which might arrange a dream situation—a superfight with Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs), Takuma’s older brother and the RING/undisputed 122-pound champ.
“I wish to unify the titles or transfer as much as [122] to win the championship there,” acknowledged Nakatani. “The combat with [Naoya] Inoue is the one I really need. Lots of people are actually anticipating this combat. I’ll proceed to get stronger and shall be prepared for that combat.”
