Junto Nakatani to Potentially Cross into Bantamweight Waters
Junto Nakatani (26-0, 19 KOs) is the reigning WBO junior bantamweight champion. A two-division world champion who has captured world titles at 112 and 115 pounds, does he have eyes on attempting to win a world title at 118?
Nakatani is currently in the Dominican Republic at the annual WBO convention. During an interview with the media outlet ProBox TV, the hard-hitting lefty said that he’s not sure how long he plans to stay at junior bantamweight and has talked with his team about a possible move up to the bantamweight division.
The last time fans saw Nakatani in the ring, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Argi Cortes in September 2023. Many observers rank Nakatani among the very best in the lower-weight divisions.
TO STAY OR TO GO?
Nakatani has been campaigning at 115 for less than a year. Some fans think it may be too soon for the talented left-hander from Japan. They argue that he needs to stay where he’s at and seek out matches against Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez, or current WBA champion Kazuto Ioka.
A battle between Nakatani and any of those fighters would illicit plenty of attention among hardcore heads. A unification showdown between Nakatani and Ioka would be a big deal in their home country of Japan. But at age 25, Nakatani is starting to fill out, physically. Standing 5’8”, he is tall for the division and has the frame to put on added pounds without sacrificing speed and movement.
He also views 118 as being in a state of transition since Naoya Inoue vacated the undisputed bantamweight title in January 2023. In observing the present landscape in that division, Nakatani feels he would win a world title at 118 and become a three-division world champion.
It will be interesting to see what Nakatani decides to do. Do not be surprised if he makes an official move up to 118 at some point in 2024.
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