As the boxing world pretty much fumes over the way former WBO lightweight champ Keyshawn Davis failed to make the 135 pound weight limit for his fight with Edwin De Los Santos, this by over 4 pounds (with Keyshawn being stripped of the belt he won back in May and will now never defend), comes news that Junto Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida both made weight ahead of Sunday’s two-belt unification clash.
True pros, Nakatani and Nishida make the 118 pound limit without issue – Nakatani coming in at 117.5 pounds, Nishida scaling 117.7 pounds. The fight will take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, and Nakatani will be defending his WBC bantamweight title, while Nishida will be defending his IBF belt.
Unbeaten records on the line in all-Japanese showdown
Nakatani is currently unbeaten at 30-0(27), while his fellow southpaw Nishida is currently perfect at 10-0(2). Fans are expecting to see a great fight with this one.
Nakatani, who it’s absolutely no secret wants a massive fight with Japanese superstar and pound-for-pound number one (or 2, maybe 3, depending on your view) Naoya Inoue, has said he will go for the KO when he fights Nishida, this to further make the public demand the fight with “The Monster.”
“I am always looking for the knockout,” Nakatani said to The Ring. “Unifying the titles is very important to me. Without winning and continuing to win, the Inoue fight isn’t happening – my job is to be successful on June 8.”
Also from The Ring, there is talk that the all-Japanese super fight that is Inoue vs. Nakatani could take place as soon as next May. Providing of course, both men remain unbeaten. Nakatani faces a tough and potentially tricky test tomorrow, while Inoue is set to meet Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September, with a possible move up to the featherweight division to follow.
At time of writing, Nakatani is a pretty substantial favourite to get the win over Nishida. DraftKings have Nakatani listed as a -1000 betting favourite, while they have Nishida listed as a +550 underdog.
Nakatani vs. Nishida: Sunday Showdown in Tokyo Could Shake Up the Bantamweight Division
Fans of the lower weight warriors, and the currently all-dominant Japanese bantamweights in particular, will be tuning in this Sunday morning US time, this as the superb Junto Nakatani will face rival 118 pound champ Ryosuke Nishida at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. And it could turn out to be quite a fight.
Nakatani, unbeaten at 30-0(23) and the reigning WBC bantamweight champion, knows Ryosuke, the IBF ruler, very well. Nishida, also unbeaten, this at 10-0(2) has never sparred Nakatani, but the two men know all about each other’s style and approach. These two excellent fighters knew there would be a very good chance they would meet one day.
Nishida sees a shot at greatness—and a tough test ahead
And now Nakatani and Nishida will fight, and Nishida says he is looking forward to facing “the strongest player in this weight class.”
Nakatani – who is, we hope, heading into another, even bigger all-Japanese showdown, this with Naoya Inoue next year – has listened as Nishida has said he is looking at giving the paying fans “a perfect battle” on Sunday.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting against the strongest player in this weight class,” Nishida told The Ring. “I think he is a very strong fighter who is amongst the pound-for-pound best. He can fight at any distance and is strong, but I think his greatest strength is his attacking power. I think that taking a measured and tactical approach against Nakatani is the way to result in a victory for me. I wanted to fight against a strong opponent, and I wanted to fight as a champion before Nakatani possibly went up in weight class. I know we will both be prepared to give our absolute all in the ring. Let’s give the audience, on the day, a perfect battle.”
Can Nakatani stay perfect—or will Nishida break through?
So far in his career, Nakatani has looked almost flawless, the southpaw capable of boxing brilliantly and of being able to take his opponent out with a shot to either head or body. Nishida is no slouch, not at all, and this weekend’s fight could turn out to be a testing fight for both men, while there promises to be a heck of a lot of pure skill on display from both sides. If Nishida, also a southpaw, can become the first man to defeat Nakatani, maybe it will be he who ends up facing “Monster” Inoue in an all-Japanese blockbuster of epic proportions next year.
Pick: I’m going for Nakatani to score a late stoppage win over Nishida, in a quite thrilling battle.
