GLASGOW ― Fans of Junto Nakatani (now 28-0, 21 knockouts), had a good night on Saturday, July 20. They were offered the chance to witness just how good he Nakatani is as he handled top-ranked Filipino contender Vincent Astrolabio in his first defense of the WBC 118-pound (53.5-kilogram) title he won in February.
Japanese viewers, along with interested observers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland tuned in as ESPN+ and Sky Sports broadcast the fight in these three major international markets.
Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan was the venue as Mie Prefecture native Nakatani sought to repeat his February success at the iconic sumo arena.
Coming into the contest, Astrolabio (now 19-5, 14 KOs) looked like he had the potential to make this an awkward night for the champion. It would be Astrolabio's second attempt at winning a world belt ― his first fell just short when he lost a razor-thin majority decision to Jason Moloney of Australia in May 2023.
Astrolabio also owns a February 2022 victory over Cuban defensive specialist Guillermo Rigondeaux, so his ring smarts weren't in question.
Nakatani rendered all of that irrelevant, though, when he wiped Astrolabio out with a beautifully placed body shot in the final minute of the opening round.
The Filipino boxer tried to rise, he did briefly get his feet on the canvas but collapsed again as the effect of Nakatani's punch to his midsection lingered.
A Quick Analysis of Junto Nakatani vs Vincent Astrolabio
Although brief, Nakatani's performance reminded everyone watching just why he is so highly thought of in boxing circles. It also fueled speculation about some potentially huge all-Japanese fights to come in the near future.
There were also some interesting elements within the fight before Nakatani detonated the straight left to the solar plexus that ended the bout.
Enjoying a four-inch reach and three-inch height advantage, southpaw Nakatani looked to utilize this edge in the opening stages. He began to work behind his jab, patiently waiting for opportunities to throw shots with his powerful left hand.
Astrolabio, boxing out of the orthodox stance, wasn't willing to accept this and looked to get inside Nakatani's reach and fight at close quarters. The Filipino showed real determination to take the fight to Nakatani. For that, he deserves some credit.
Watching the Footwork and Targets of the Jabs
As always in a southpaw versus orthodox boxing match the footwork battle is worth watching. Both boxers were trying to gain the advantage in that respect by positioning their lead foot on the outside of their opponent.
At one point this led to Astrolabio's left foot standing on Nakatani's right. Instead of stepping off, Astrolabio kept his foot in position, effectively limiting Nakatani's movement for a second while he threw a couple of head shots Nakatani's way. It was a little unconventional.
Another point to note about Astrolabio's work was that he seemed keen to attack Nakatani's body. On more than one occasion he targeted the larger man's torso as he bounced forward on the attack.
In the end, none of these subplots were given time to develop as with 38 seconds remaining in the first round Nakatani created an opportunity to land a significant blow. A double jab to Astrolabio's head drew the challenger's guard up sufficiently. And less than a second later, Nakatani's straight left to the torso landed perfectly on Astrolabio's belly button and ended the fight.
Breaking Down a Perfect Body Shot
Traditionally, fight-ending body shots tend to be vicious hooks, thrown with a sweeping motion that catches the intended target on the liver, or crushes a few ribs.
On Saturday, however, Nakatani's punch was thrown straight down the middle of Astrolabio's defense. But it was just as effective as a body shot delivered to the side of an opponent's guard.
In setting up Saturday's knockout shot, Nakatani fired a sharp jab at Astrolabio's head. Half a second later, another jab shot toward the Filipino's face, quickly followed by the internal organ-shaking body punch that had referee Thomas Taylor calling a halt to proceedings 10 seconds after it had landed.
After the second jab, Astrolabio's guard was so high that his gloves were protecting his forehead. This left his midsection exposed. Nakatani computed this and, with staggeringly quick reflexes, moved his weight onto his back foot before transferring it forward with the motion of the punch. That ensured the shot landed on target with maximum force.
Unless you were on the receiving end of it, it was a thing of beauty. It knocked the wind out of Astrolabio and ended his world title challenge.
For Nakatani, Saturday's brief outing enhanced his reputation. Demolishing his number-one ranked challenger in such a fashion has boxing fans eager to see Nakatani take on the toughest opponents possible in and around the bantamweight division.
Is Junto Nakatani Now the World's Best Bantamweight?
The short answer to this question is yes. At 26 years old and now hitting his boxing prime, Nakatani is the cream of the current crop of bantamweights. Although he has only boxed twice in the division, the former flyweight and super flyweight world champion has made the transition to 118 pounds with ease.
Back in February, Nakatani dethroned defending WBC bantamweight champion Alexandro Santiago via a dominating sixth-round TKO. Saturday's showing proved he is levels above Astrolabio. Santiago and Astrolabio are ranked third and first, respectively, by the WBC.
Looking at the other title holders in the 118-pound division, some challenging unification matchups are possible for Nakatani.
Currently, all the belts are held by Japanese fighters. Takuma Inoue (20-1, five KOs) holds the WBA version, Yoshiki Takei (9-0, eight KOs) the WBO and Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, one KO) has the IBF title.
All would present interesting unification fights. But Nakatani, with his combination of good movement and devastating power, would start as a healthy favorite against all of his compatriots.
Inoue Brothers in Nakatani's Sights
Speaking in the ring after vanquishing Astrolabio, Nakatani hinted at the fights he would like in the near future.
Via translation he declared, "So I'm thinking about unifying the titles in the bantamweight division or I'm thinking about going up a weight division [to 122 pounds, or 55.3kg, super bantamweight], let's see."
In response to what may have been a leading follow-up question Nakatani added, "Takuma Inoue is the one I really want to fight against for a title unification. I think lots of people are expecting this fight. I'll be stronger, I'll get ready."
Following another question about moving up to 122 pounds, Nakatani put this out there: "I will take one step at a time but I know one weight division up there's the Monster (Naoya Inoue) waiting so let's see what happens and please wait for me!"
If Nakatani rounds off 2024 by facing and beating Takuma Inoue to unify two world belts at bantamweight, then he will be in the running for Fighter of the Year honors.
A Potential Blockbuster Fight in 2025
Beginning 2025 by stepping up to super bantamweight to challenge Naoya Inoue really would be giving boxing fans more than they could dream of. A fight pinning Nakatani against the Monster would be massive in Japan and globally.
Nakatani's statement of "wait for me" shows he is aware of the Monster's desire to move up from super bantamweight at some point. Hopefully the timelines can align for them both to be at 122 pounds in order for that contest to take place.
For now, Nakatani should enjoy his convincing win. He is a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter in the eyes of most boxing fans. There is now plenty of desire to see him face Naoya Inoue. That, too, highlights just what a special fighter Junto Nakatani is.
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Author: Colin Morrison
Morrison is a freelance sportswriter. Find his stories on SportsLook. Writing since 2016, his byline currently appears on FightsATW.com where he covers boxing. Morrison has previously written for NYFights.com and spitballingpod.com. His main areas of interest are boxing, soccer, golf and rugby union. Morrison is from Scotland and can be found on X (formerly Twitter) @Morrie1981.
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