Junto Nakatani Signs Co-Promotional Deal with Top Rank
Reigning WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) is hungry to expand his appeal and popularity. Top Rank is always in hot pursuit of a future star. Can the two work together and result in Nakatani becoming a mainstream attraction?
Top Rank has announced they’ve reached a deal with Japan’s Teiken Promotions and M.T. Boxing Gym to promote the 26-year-old Nakatani. Nakatani is fresh off a first-round knockout over Vincent Astrolabio on July 20 in Tokyo, Japan.
A SPECIAL TALENT
A three-division world champion, the hard-hitting southpaw is becoming a favorite of the hardcore sect and serious observers of the lower-weight divisions. He’s a fighter who is an outstanding blend of skill and power. The current WBC belt-holder can outbox opponents from range and break you down with body shots. He also has shown the ability to hurt you with either hand.
Through its partnership with ESPN, Top Rank has made a concerted effort to air live Japanese boxing events via ESPN Plus. They’ve aired Nakatani’s last seven fights. Given that reality, the signing of Nakatani was pretty much inevitable.
THE ROAD MAP TO BECOMING A MAINSTREAM ATTRACTION
Top Rank signed a co-promotional deal with Japanese superstar and two-time undisputed champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue in November 2019. The pairing has been wildly successful. Inoue is now one of the faces of the sport and a household name throughout American boxing circles. They hope to have similar success with Nakatani.
Here’s the irony. For Nakatani to reach star status, he would likely have to face Inoue. The home area fighters have talked about facing each other. If that matchup were to occur, it would be arguably the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing. Both fighters have expressed an interest in fighting one another. It’s a good guess that Top Rank signed Nakatani with an eye on making an Inoue versus Nakatani showdown in the next 12-18 months.
Another tantalizing fight for Nakatani could be a battle with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the current WBC title-holder at 115 pounds. Nakatani wants to make a name for himself in the United States. Fighting Rodriguez in the States would fit the bill.
Making a lower-weight fighter a high-profile figure is difficult, especially for a fighter in boxing’s lower-weight divisions. However, if Top Rank can strike gold with lower-weight divisions again, it can be done with Nakatani. If he can continue to live up to his end of the bargain and Top Rank does their job behind the scenes, this seems like a business match made in heaven.
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