Junto Nakatani vs Ryosuke Nishida: Who has the edge heading into their fight?

“The Monster” Naoya Inoue is not the only destructive force from Japan dominating boxing’s current landscape.

Undefeated WBC bantamweight world champion Junto Nakatani (30-0, 23 knockouts) clashes with fellow unbeaten Japanese world titleholder Ryosuke Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs), owner of the IBF strap, in a unifying championship bout at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday night.

Inoue has already expressed interest in clashing with Nakatani in 2026 as long as both can win to reach that point.

Now, it is about Nakatani trying to force that issue. He is coming off a three-round destruction of David Cuellar Contreras in February, while Nishida produced a seven-round TKO of Anuchai Donsua in December.

With the stakes high in this unification bout, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge between both world champs.

Boxing Styles

Junto Nakatani is a boxer who is comfortable on the front foot fighting from the outside behind the jab, but watch how quickly that changes when he commits to working inside.

Still on that front foot, Nakatani has the ability to fight forward with feverish aggression, making him a problem for most bantamweights to handle.

That boxer/puncher style will be up against Ryosuke Nishida’s methodical approach.

The IBF titleholder, too, is comfortable pumping the jab from a distance but prefers banking points toward rounds, resulting in victory.

How he will keep Nakatani from plowing forward, though, is a quandary he will likely be faced with in real time Sunday.

Edge: Nakatani

Power

Nakatani is the bigger puncher between the two, having produced four straight knockouts to drive his total up to 23 towards his 30 victories.

Thus the nickname “Big Bang.”

His ability to shift gears into a high power output via a barrage of punches makes him all the more dangerous in this category.

Edge: Nakatani

Mental Warfare

Naoya Inoue laid down the gauntlet just last month in telling ESPN “Yes, if we both keep winning, that will materialize” in speaking toward a mega bout between he and fellow Japanese native Nakatani.

The bout would be special for Japan and across the boxing landscape but it entails Nakatani defeating Nishida first and Inoue getting the best of Murodjon Akhmadliev in September.

That should spell all the drive and inspiration Nakatani needs to enter this bout with a steely mindset.

For Nishida, it will be to play spoiler and book his own possible ticket for a showdown with “The Monster.”

Edge: Nakatani

Who has the edge in Nakatani vs Nishida?

Both Nakatani and Nishida are undefeated bantamweight world champions from Japan.

The rub comes with Nakatani’s capability of being an explosive finisher and his experience through that with savvy gained through triple the amount of fights.

It is part of the reason DAZN News is giving Nakatani the 3-0 edge.

The pressing urgency for a 2026 meeting with “The Monster” being the other.

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