Junto Nakatani vs Ryosuke Nishida Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

“The Monster” Naoya Inoue might dominate the boxing attention from Japan, but Junto Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida are forces in their own right.

Nakatani (30-0, 23 knockouts), the undefeated WBC bantamweight world champion, clashes with IBF titleholder Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs) in a unifying championship bout from Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday night.

Inoue, who has achieved undisputed glory in two divisions, is already looking forward to a 2026 showdown with Nakatani.

Will “Big Bang” take a giant step in that direction by snatching Nishida’s title in his latest dominant display? Or will Nishida set up his own meeting with “The Monster” in an upset?

The stakes could not be higher in this championship unification bout and here DAZN News analyzes the keys to victory for both titleholders.

Junto Nakatani’s keys to victory

Assert the jab early

Junto Nakatani’s ability to assert the jab delivers a two-pronged result: it allows him to establish ring real estate and pick his spots as to when he could work inside with bursts of barrages.

His ability to do this effectively could spell the difference in this unification bout.

Step into power shots with pressure

Nakatani does a pointed job at knowing when to fight forward and step into his power shorts with shorts bursts of punching.

Doing this has been especially helpful in producing 23 of 30 victories by the way of knockout.

Considering Ryosuke Nishida’s comfort level sitting on the outside and picking away surgically at opponents, Nakatani might find dazzling results working behind the jab and stepping into his power displays with pressure.

It is what might be required of him walking out as the unified IBF/WBC bantamweight world champion.

Piece together combinations

Working behind the jab and pressure he could derive from it, all Nakatani might need to do from there is piece together combinations.

He has shown the ability to burst into the pocket with effective combinations as flurries and doing this against Nishida will dizzy his fellow unbeaten Japanese champ — if not end his night, altogether, to set up a showdown with “The Monster.”

Ryosuke Nishida’s keys to victory

Establish range with his jab

One of Ryosuke Nishida's longtime keys to victory has been establishing range with his jab.

Once accomplished, Nishida is more than adept at picking away at opponents from the outside to rack up points and rounds as a sweet scientist, controlling the spacing and pacing of his bouts.

Crank the left uppercut

Content plugging away from the outside, Nishida does possess a raucous left uppercut that he tends to crank up and extend, using all 68 inches of reach to detonate with pop.

As Nakatani pressures in the pocket, Nishida’s uppercut could be his best bet at keeping the WBC bantamweight titleholder at bay or at best damaging his fellow undefeated counterpart.

Time counters

Nakatani’s pressure could either overwhelm Nishida or the latter can turn that aggression against the WBC champ.

The way to accomplish the latter could very well reside with Nishida’s timing of counterpunches.

As Nakatani encroaches, it is up to Nishida to keep him honest with the kind of counter that commands respect.

It could come in the form of the left uppercut as aforementioned or perhaps Nishida will shock Nakatani with something different, booking his own mash with “The Monster.”

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