<a href="https://time.news/junto-nakatani-makes-second-defense-by-tko-tsunenari-tanaka-fails-in-first-defense-tokyo-shimbun-tokyo-web/" title="Junto Nakatani makes second defense by TKO; Tsunenari Tanaka fails in first defense: Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web”>Junto Nakatani WBC Bantamweight Title Match Champion 1st place in the same class Pech So Chitpatthana (October 14, 2024 Ariake Arena, Tokyo)
＜ Nakatani and Petch World Title Match 8＞ Nakatani defends his title for the second time (Photo by Tadahiko Shimazaki)
Photo by Sponichi
WBC bantamweight world champion Junto Nakatani (26, MT) defeated by TKO in the sixth round, 2 minutes and 59 seconds, over Petch So Chitpattana (30, Thailand), who is number one in his class and has a record of 76 victories from 77 fights, he managed to defend the title for the second time.
In the first round, he was showered with jabs from the start, and his punches with unparalleled accuracy were effective. Chitpattana came up in the second inning, but Nakatani calmly landed accurate punches. In the public scoring at the end of the 4th inning, there were two in Nakatani’s favor. In the 6th inning, he made a huge rush and got his first down. Just before the end, he landed a powerful straight left that knocked him down for the second time and sealed the match.
A comfortable victory after his previous fight against Astro Rabio, which he won on the first shot. Immediately after the match, he said with a smile, “I’m getting more and more opportunities to reach the world championship, so I’d be happy if everyone was happy too.”
At the Los Angeles training camp, as usual before the match, he sparred with former US amateur champion, Jafethry Lamido (USA), who fought Naoya Inoue (31, Ohashi), the unified world super bantam champion from the four groups. . and digested about 160 rounds. “I know the three key punches,” he said, and it was a landslide victory even though he had predicted a KO.
During training camp, he visited Dodger Stadium and watched a game in which Dodgers’ Shohei Otani (30), Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (30), and others participated. Encouraged by the success of the Japanese players, he also revealed his plans to move on to the United States, saying, “I want to put myself in an environment where I can perform well overseas.”
There is also a big match between the Japanese players coming up next year. Regarding a match with Naoya, unified champion of two classes and four organizations, Bob Arum (92), CEO of box office champion, Top Rank, suggested that it could happen as early as next year. Nakatani himself is positive and is looking forward to the “fight of the century,” saying, “I hope people are looking forward to seeing how I will fight.”
Takuma Inoue (28 = Ohashi), who had hoped to compete, lost to Seiya Tsutsumi (28 = Kakuebi Jewel) the night before and lost his title. The unification fight plan has also been scrapped, and there’s a chance he’ll move up to super bantamweight for his next fight. However, the four major bantamweight divisions, led by Nakatani, are still dominated by the Japanese. “I want to make a fight that people can look forward to as a big fight in the future.” Aiming to win his first major championship, something he was unable to achieve during his time as a flyweight, he continued to win.
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