Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio in thrilling world title protection, stay sky sports activities, on Saturday morning. We ask the important thing questions forward of the combat and bantamweight contender Charlie Edwards offers his knowledgeable opinion.
Who’s Atsushi Nakatani?
Junto Nakatani from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is the WBC bantamweight world champion.
He’s already a three-weight world champion and has an ideal report of 27-0. He received 20 of these distance races. He is nonetheless solely 26, however devastating knockouts have grow to be one of many hallmarks of his work.
He received the WBO flyweight title for the primary time in 2020, defeating Kimmel Magramo in eight rounds.
Final yr, he defeated Andrew Moloney to win the WBO tremendous flyweight title, profitable with a shocking punch end that grew to become top-of-the-line knockouts of 2023.
He suffered a troublesome loss to Alessandro Santiago in February, knocking him out in six rounds to win the WBC title.
Charlie Edwards is a rising bantamweight contender who has all the time had a powerful skilled curiosity in Nakatani as a possible future opponent. He stated sky sports activities“I imagine he’s the most effective within the bantamweight division proper now.
“Nakatani is a good boxer. His resume speaks for itself. He has received championships in a number of weight lessons. He’s a real handful to most boxers.”
And, he added, “Everybody loves artist.”
Who’s Nakatani preventing?
Vincent Astrolabio from the Philippines would be the first to problem for his WBC bantamweight belt.
Astrabio is a former world title challenger who fought Andrew’s brother Jason Moloney for the WBO bantamweight title final yr, solely to lose by majority determination.
His notable wins embody defeating Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2022. Stopped as soon as, early in his profession in 2018.
Edwards stated: “Within the boxing world, issues all the time come up and it’d take a number of rounds for Nakatani to kind out his points. I’ve watched him. He beat Rigondeaux, so he can clearly combat and field at a excessive degree. However I do know it felt like he received Rigondeaux on the proper time.
“I imagine that when Nakatani finds his rhythm and vary, Astrolabio will make errors. Nakatani may be very exact and he’ll set traps and I feel he’ll get him into the entice and possibly get him out of there.
“He is very robust and really motivated … however I feel he will make errors and he will pay the worth.”
When can I watch them?
The world title combat between Nakatani and Astrolabio occurred on the Kokugikan Area, a historic sumo area in Tokyo.
The present begins at 10am UK time on Saturday (July 20) and could be watched stay at 10am sky sports activities motion.
The invoice additionally contains two extra world title fights, Hiroshige Tanaka vs. Jonathan Rodriguez for the WBO tremendous flyweight title and Canoliku vs. Antonio Olascuaga for the WBO flyweight crown.
The principle occasion shouldn’t be anticipated to happen till 12pm on Saturday.
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Two-weight world champion Junto Nakatani, who will defend his WBC title this Saturday on Sky Sports activities, was suggested to not blink through the combat.
How highly effective is Nakatani?
There at the moment are 4 competing champions, all from Japan, and Nakatani could also be the most effective of all of them. He owns the 118-pound WBC gold belt, Yoshiki Takei owns the WBO, Ryosuke Nishida owns the IBF, and Takuma Inoue owns the WBA.
He has been touted because the inheritor obvious to the gifted Naoya Inoue, and positively holds one of many titles that “The Monster” as soon as held.
“He is huge, he has lengthy arms, he is lengthy and he is a lefty,” Edwards stated. “He appears to know find out how to gauge his distance and put collectively photographs in an important moments when somebody’s overreaching, and he is Having the facility to hurry into a niche and knock somebody out.
“He’s positively No. 1 within the division proper now,” he continued. “I’ve observed a few of his fights the place folks come out they usually assume they’ll stand with him a little bit bit extra after which they curl up and attempt to push him down – and also you see their mentality once they get caught One thing adjustments they usually out of the blue start to doubt themselves.
“This proves that he has the power to knock out opponents.
“I do imagine he’s a ‘monster’ on this division.”
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Watch ringside tape as Naoya Inoue delivers an explosive choke on Stephen Fulton to grow to be a four-division world champion. Credit score: Prime
What makes him so harmful?
His brutal knockouts in opposition to Santiago and Moloney specifically highlighted his credentials as the most effective bantamweight prospect on this planet as we speak.
Though his performances at light-weight have earned him a status as one of many sport’s premier knockout artists.
“He makes folks comply with his punches, which makes the affect and energy double what they left with,” Edwards stated.
“Boxers like Nakatani and Inoue, their abilities are superb,” he defined. “You’ll be able to see of their coaching what they do over and over.
“In relation to preventing, it is by no means how a lot muscle you have got, generally it is the way you plant your ft, the way you rotate your hips. It is just like the fundamentals of boxing. They study and examine and maintain refining issues, and that is Causes that deliver energy.
“You could be probably the most muscular man within the room, but when your footwork is everywhere and you are not turning your hips, take the time and precision to choose your shot on the proper second and hit the hole as a substitute of making an attempt to hurry it. Knock somebody out they usually by no means come.
“It actually comes right down to approach, timing and precision. That is why I feel he is an actual downside.”
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Naoya Inoue has damaging energy in his palms. As soon as damage by him, there isn’t any turning again!
Can he combat Inoue?
The comparability between Nakatani and Inoue is comprehensible. They each moved up by a number of weight lessons and received world titles at completely different weights. Nakatani presently holds one of many previous titles of “Monster” and is only one degree beneath him.
Not solely that, Nakatani could be more practical within the tremendous light-weight division, the place Inoue is now the undisputed world champion.
He additionally has room and vary to develop. Edwards hopes he does.
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Naoya Inoue recovers from knockdown for first time to win wild four-knockout combat in opposition to Luis Nery
“I imagine he’ll proceed to carry weights as effectively as a result of he has the size and he appears to have energy at each weight class. So most likely due to his peak, his wingspan and his clumsiness, he’ll be capable of undergo extra Weight division,” Edwards stated.
“When he will get greater and has extra muscle mass, he punches tougher with the load on high and does not wrestle.
“Once you drop some weight and get tight, the very first thing you lose is energy and energy.
“In some unspecified time in the future in his profession, he will face a combat with Inoue. Think about the 2 of them preventing. An enormous combat.”
Watch Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio stay sky sports activities motion Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m.
