All fight fans are waiting to see the all-Japanese showdown that is Naoya Inoue Vs. Junto Nakatani, with the super fight being eyed for next year. But there could be a twist as far as the weight the fight is fought at. As of right now, Inoue operates at 122 pounds, where he of course holds all four world titles. Nakatani is currently fighting at 118 pounds, and he will in his next fight attempt to add the IBF bantamweight title to the WBC crown he already holds.
And, the way Nakatani’s trainer Rudy Hernandez tells is, the June 8 fight Nakatani will have with Ryosuke Nishida could well prove to be his last at the weight. Hernandez has big plans for his fighter: a win next month, and then a move directly up to the featherweight division and a fight with reigning WBO 126 pound champ Rafael Espinoza.
Hernandez reveals the plan: skip 122, go straight to Espinoza
Then, Hernandez told The Ring, Nakatani and Inoue can fight at featherweight. It sure sounds like a plan, and we fans would love to see southpaw Nakatani, 30-0(23) match his skills with those of the equally formidable Espinoza, 27-0(23). And a Inoue-Nakatani fight at featherweight would prove to be a genuinely fascinating showdown. Inoue, who has some business to attend to at 122 before making the expected move to featherweight, this a mandatory defence against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, could face Britain’s Nick Ball at the end of the year; Ball being the current WBA featherweight champ.
“I would love to go straight to a Rafael Espinoza fight for the WBO featherweight title,” Hernandez said. “It’s a great fight because you have two very tall and talented fighters going against each other. It would give Junto a bigger status. He would wow the people. If we’re not going to get Inoue [next], we can go to Espinoza. If they offer us that fight, we’ll take it in a heartbeat. And Inoue can come fight us at 126 for the featherweight title.”
One misstep and it’s over? Risky road to greatness for Nakatani
Again, a grand plan indeed. Still, the jumping up of two weight classes can prove to be tough, even for as special a talent as Nakatani. Inoue, 30-0(27) has taken his time moving up the weights, one at a time. If Nakatani were to challenge Espinoza this year (this assuming Junto defeats Nishida, 10-0(2) next month), what would happen if he were to lose? Would we lose the Inoue-Nakatani fight? It’s a risky plan Hernandez has in mind for his fighter, that’s for sure. But at the same time it shows us the faith Nakatani’s trainer has in his fighter and his all-round abilities and desire for greatness.
We fans were wondering who would win a super-bantamweight clash between Inoue and Nakatani, but now there is a chance we could see the two modern greats duke it out at featherweight.
