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Unification showdown ahead, Junto Nakatani knows he is on a collision course with Naoya Inoue
'The Monster' Naoya Inoue is boxing’s biggest star from Japan with undisputed crowns in two different weight divisions and a string of highlight reel knockouts.
The "Land of the Rising Sun", though, touts another undoubted boxing star. This one is a three-division world champion with an identical 30-0 record, and pound-for-pound aspirations of his own. His name is Junto Nakatani.
Inoue, who defended his undisputed junior featherweight world championship against Ramon Cardenas earlier this month, told ESPN that if both he and Nakatani keep winning that the fight “will materialize” for 2026.
So, consider this their collision course.
Nakatani, the WBC bantamweight world titleholder, will clash with IBF bantamweight ruler Ryosuke Nishida in a unification showdown on June 8 in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue has September plans to face rugged Uzbekistan fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
The two win to remain undefeated and they could have the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history.
“It’s a very highly-anticipated fight and I think it will be a very historical fight,” Nakatani told DAZN News through a translator over Zoom on Monday evening.
The organic groundswell toward this fight between Japanese sensations would make the bout all the more special for boxing fans.
“Whether it was brewing or not, it’s hard to say, but as we both keep winning — and it’s something that the fans have wanted and anticipated for — I think that’s how it’s becoming the fight that it is.”
The dream bout would have Nakatani moving up and daring to be greater in trying to stop 'The Monster' who overcame a second-round knockdown to overwhelm Cardenas for an eighth-round TKO to cap Cinco de Mayo weekend. That finish marked Inoue's 11th straight knockout victory.
That being said, Nakatani is riding a knockout streak of his own, having produced four straight stoppage wins, with the latest offering being a third-round KO of David Cuellar Contreras in February.
Although the magnitude of a potential Inoue-Nakatani mega fight has the latter compelled to speak about it, Nakatani vows he is not overlooking Nishida on June 8.
“When I saw him at the press conference, he’s all in,” Nakatani said of Nishida. “He’s very motivated, very strong-hearted, and I see him coming in with all of his heart, so yes, I see that as one of the challenges that I see that I have to take on.”
He added: “I have to take on each one of the fights as they come to me, each fight that’s in front of me. But not just win, but win with an impact — a great, impressionable win.”
The collision course is in motion, though, with 'The Monster' likely waiting for the 'Big Bang' at the crossroads.
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