Junto Nakatani
中谷潤人
Born (1998-01-02) 2 January 1998 (age 26)
Inabe, Mie Prefecture Japan
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm)
Reach67 in (170 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights27
Wins27
Wins by KO20

Junto Nakatani (中谷潤人, Nakatani Junto, born 2 January 1998) is a Japanese professional boxer. He has held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBO flyweight title from 2020 to 2022, the WBO junior-bantamweight title in 2023 and the WBC bantamweight title in February 2024.

Professional career

Flyweight

Early career

Nakatani made his professional debut on 26 April 2015, scoring a first-round technical knockout (TKO) victory over Junichi Itoga at the Industrial Hall in Gifu, Japan.[1] He would go on to amass a 9-0 record, and was ranked in the flyweight rankings by the JBC following his victory over Masamichi Yabuki.[2]

Nakatani was scheduled to fight Atiwit Munyapho on February 19, 2017, in the opening round of the Japanese flyweight Youth Tournament. He won the fight by a second-round technical knockout. He beat Joel Taduran by a fourth-round technical knockout and Yuma Kudo by majority decision over the next two rounds, before facing Seigo Yuri Akui in the tournament finals. He beat Akui by a sixth-round technical knockout. He was further named the tournament MVP.[3]

Nakatani won his next four fights, before being scheduled to fight Naoki Mochizuki for the vacant Japanese flyweight title. He won the fight by a ninth-round technical knockout.[4] He fought Philip Luis Cuerdo on June 1, 2019, and won the fight by a first-round knockout.[5]

On July 23, 2019, Nakatani vacated the Japanese flyweight title.[6]

Nakatani was scheduled to fight the former IBF and IBO light flyweight champion Milan Melindo on October 5, 2019. He beat Melindo by a sixth-round technical knockout.[7]

Nakatani vs. Magramo

Nakatani was scheduled to fight Giemel Magramo for the vacant WBO flyweight title on 6 November 2020 at the Korakuen Hall.[8] The bout was originally set for April but due to the COVID-19 pandemic was postponed and rescheduled thrice.[9] Nakatani entered the bout as the favorite to win the title.[10][11] Nakatani dominated the bout, punishing his opponent from range, and landing with more power when Magramo closed in. Nakatani won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout. The referee waved the fight off early on in the round, as Magramo was knocked down with a combination of punches, although Magramo managed to beat the count.[12]

Nakatani vs. Acosta

Nakatani was scheduled to make his first title defense against the former WBO light flyweight champion Ángel Acosta on May 29, 2021, in his native Japan.[13] Increasingly strict COVID-19 regulations imposed by the Japanese government and international travel issues forced the postponement of the bout, with Nakatani's management tentatively announcing the fight for late May or early June.[14] On May 26, 2021, WBO scheduled a June 1st purse bid with a minimum offer of $80,000.[15] That purse bid was canceled on June 2, 2021, as an agreement was made that Nakatani’s promoter, Teiken Promotions, would handle the negotiations. The fight was scheduled for September 10, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona.[16] Nakatani won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout. Nakatani broke Acosta's nose in the opening round of the bout, and both the referee and the ringside physician warned Acosta that the fight would be stopped if his nose suffered more damage. The fight was finally stopped near the end of the fourth round, at the 2:28 minute mark.[17]

Nakatani vs. Yamauchi

Nakatani was booked to make his second WBO flyweight title defense against the reigning WBO Asia Pacific flyweight titleholder Ryota Yamauchi on April 9, 2022. The bout was scheduled for the undercard of the Ryota Murata and Gennadiy Golovkin middleweight unification bout, and took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.[18] He won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout, forcing referee Katsuhiko Nakamura to stop the bout with a flurry of punches at the 2:20 minute mark. Nakatani was leading on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage, with all three judges' having him up 70–63.[19]

Super flyweight

Nakatani vs. Rodríguez Jr.

Nakatani is going to face the former WBO super flyweight title challenger Francisco Rodríguez Jr. in a super flyweight bout on 1 November 2022. The fight took place on the undercard of the Hiroto Kyoguchi and Kenshiro Teraji title unification bout.[20] Nakatani officially vacated his WBO flyweight title on 27 October.[21] Nakatani won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 98–91, 97–92 and 99–90. Rodríguez Jr. was deducted a point in the seventh round for landing a low blow.[22]

Nakatani vs. Moloney

On 1 January 2023, the reigning WBO super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka was ordered by the sanctioning body to make a mandatory title defense against Nakatani.[23] As Ioka vacated the title on 14 February to pursue a rematch with Joshua Franco,[24] Nakatani was instead ordered to face Andrew Moloney for the vacant championship.[25] The fight took place on 20 May 2023, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.[26] On the night, Nakatani dropped Moloney in the second round with a series of uppercuts. Nakatani scored another knockdown in the eleventh round, before scoring a one-punch knockout in the twelfth round to win the vacant WBO title.[27]

Nakatani vs. Cortes

Nakatani is scheduled to make his first WBO super flyweight title defense against Argi Cortes on September 18, 2023, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[28]

Professional boxing record

27 fights 27 wins 0 losses
By knockout 20 0
By decision 7 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
27 Win 27–0 Alexandro Santiago TKO 6 (12), 1:12 Feb 24, 2024 Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan Won WBC bantamweight title
26 Win 26–0 Argi Cortes UD 12 18 Sep 2023 Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBO junior-bantamweight title
25 Win 25–0 Andrew Moloney KO 12 (12), 2:42 20 May 2023 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Won vacant WBO junior-bantamweight title
24 Win 24–0 Francisco Rodríguez Jr. UD 10 1 Nov 2022 Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
23 Win 23–0 Ryota Yamauchi TKO 8 (12), 2:20 9 Apr 2022 Super Arena, Saitama, Japan Retained WBO flyweight title
22 Win 22–0 Ángel Acosta TKO 4 (12), 2:28 10 Sep 2021 Casino del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Retained WBO flyweight title
21 Win 21–0 Giemel Magramo TKO 8 (12), 2:10 6 Nov 2020 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Won vacant WBO flyweight title
20 Win 20–0 Milan Melindo TKO 6 (10), 2:02 5 Oct 2019 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
19 Win 19–0 Philip Luis Cuerdo KO 1 (10), 1:23 1 Jun 2019 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
18 Win 18–0 Naoki Mochizuki TKO 9 (10), 0:23 2 Feb 2019 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Won vacant Japanese flyweight title
17 Win 17–0 Shun Kosaka UD 8 6 Oct 2018 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
16 Win 16–0 Dexter Alimento KO 3 (10), 0:36 7 Jul 2018 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
15 Win 15–0 Mario Andrade TD 8 (10), 0:43 15 Apr 2018 Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan
14 Win 14–0 Jeronil Borres KO 1 (8), 1:56 20 Jan 2018 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
13 Win 13–0 Seigo Yuri Akui TKO 6 (8), 2:01 23 Aug 2017 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Won inaugural Japanese Youth flyweight title
12 Win 12–0 Yuma Kudo MD 6 16 May 2017 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
11 Win 11–0 Joel Taduran TKO 4 (6), 0:53 16 Apr 2017 Messe Mie, Tsu, Japan
10 Win 10–0 Atiwit Munyapho TKO 2 (6), 0:43 19 Feb 2017 Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan
9 Win 9–0 Masamichi Yabuki UD 4 23 Dec 2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
8 Win 8–0 Daisuke Yamada TKO 1 (5), 1:40 13 Nov 2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
7 Win 7–0 Satoshi Tanaka RTD 2 (4), 3:00 4 Oct 2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
6 Win 6–0 Shu Muramatsu TKO 2 (4), 0:15 27 Jul 2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
5 Win 5–0 Anirut Chomyong TKO 1 (4), 1:43 28 Apr 2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
4 Win 4–0 Tetsuya Tomioka TKO 3 (4), 2:17 28 Jan 2016 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
3 Win 3–0 Magnum Nishida UD 4 22 Nov 2015 Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan
2 Win 2–0 Akira Kokubo TKO 4 (4), 1:06 17 Jul 2015 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1 Win 1–0 Junichi Itoga TKO 1 (4), 1:33 26 Apr 2015 Industrial Hall, Gifu, Japan

See also

References

  1. ^ "2015年4月試合結果". jbc.or.jp. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. ^ "2016年12月度ランキング" (PDF). jbc.or.jp. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  3. ^ "中谷潤人が阿久井に圧勝、ユース初代王座MVPも獲得". boxingnews.jp. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  4. ^ "中谷潤人が無傷の18連勝で日本フライ級王座獲得". boxingnews.jp. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  5. ^ "中谷潤人が初回KO勝ち 無傷19連勝で世界アピール". boxingnews.jp. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  6. ^ "中谷潤人が日本王座返上、10・５に世界前哨戦へ". nikkansports.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  7. ^ "ホープ中谷潤人 元王者メリンドTKOで世界アピール WBO2位の赤穂亮は野性封じて完勝". boxingnews.jp. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. ^ "New date set for Junto Nakatani and Giemel Magramo's world title fight". japantimes.co.jp. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  9. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (19 October 2020). "Junto Nakatani vs. Giemel Magramo now targeted for November 6th". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  10. ^ Luarca, Roy (5 November 2020). "Magramo tackles Nakatani for WBO flyweight crown in Tokyo". rappler.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. ^ Henson, Joaquin. "Magramo goes for broke tonight". philstar.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. ^ Songalia, Ryan. "Junto Nakatani batters Giemel Magramo to 8th round TKO, wins WBO flyweight title". ringtv.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  13. ^ Donovan, Jake (20 April 2021). "Junto Nakatani-Angel Acosta WBO Flyweight Title Fight Set For May 29 In Japan". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  14. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (15 April 2021). "Junto Nakatani vs Angel Acosta in the works for summer". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  15. ^ Donovan, Jake (26 May 2021). "Nakatani-Acosta: June 1 Purse Bid Hearing Ordered For WBO Flyweight Title Fight". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  16. ^ "中谷潤人9・10に米アリゾナで防衛戦 2階級制覇を狙う実力者が相手【ボクシング】". news.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  17. ^ Rafael, Dan (11 September 2021). "Junto Nakatani scores bloody fourth round stoppage of Angel Acosta, retains flyweight belt". ringtv.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  18. ^ Wainwright, Anson (3 March 2022). "Golovkin-Murata Undercard: Junto Nakatani To Defend WBO Flyweight Title Against Ryota Yamauchi". ringtv.com. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  19. ^ "【中谷潤人vs山内涼太】中谷潤人８回TKOで２度目の防衛 デビュー23連勝／ライブ詳細". nikkansports.com. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Japanese super show set for November 1st!". asianboxing.info. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  21. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (27 October 2022). "Junto Nakatani officially vacates flyweight title, WBO orders Jesse Rodriguez vs Cristian Gonzalez". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  22. ^ Fischer, Doug (1 November 2022). "Junto Nakatani Outpoints Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Over 10 Tough Rounds". ringtv.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  23. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (2 January 2023). "Kazuto Ioka ordered to face Junto Nakatani, wants Juan Francisco Estrada". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  24. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (14 February 2023). "Kazuto Ioka vacates WBO super flyweight title in favor of Joshua Franco rematch". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  25. ^ Donovan, Jake (17 February 2023). "Junto Nakatani-Andrew Moloney: WBO Orders Vacant Junior Bantamweight Title Fight". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  26. ^ "中谷潤人、５・２０「格闘技の殿堂」でのＷＢＯ世界スーパーフライ級王座決定戦が決定 村野会長が明かす／ボクシング". sanspo.com. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  27. ^ Staff, BoxingScene (20 May 2023). "Junto Nakatani Brutally Knocks Out Andrew Moloney in Twelfth, Wins WBO Title". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  28. ^ Salazar, Franscisco (19 July 2023). "Teraji-Budler, Nakatani-Cortes Title Fight Double Set, Sept. 18 In Tokyo". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 19 July 2023.

External links

Sporting positions Regional boxing titles VacantTitle last held byMasayuki Kuroda Japanese flyweight champion 2 February 2019 – 23 July 2019Vacated VacantTitle next held bySeigo Yuri Akui World boxing titles VacantTitle last held byKosei Tanaka WBO flyweight champion 6 November 2020 – 27 October 2022Vacated VacantTitle next held byJesse Rodriguez VacantTitle last held byKazuto Ioka WBO super flyweight champion 20 May – 13 December 2023Vacated VacantTitle next held byKosei Tanaka Preceded byAlexandro Santiago WBC bantamweight champion 24 February 2024 – present Incumbent Awards Previous:Leigh WoodTKO12 Michael Conlan The Ring Knockout of the YearKO12 Andrew Moloney 2023 Incumbent
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