Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio predictions: Picking the winners

Predictions for the Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio bout are here to offer some analytical insight into who could emerge victorious this Saturday. The pair's matchup is of great importance to both men. For Nakatani, it marks his first defense of his newly minted WBC bantamweight belt.

Meanwhile, this will be Astrolabio's second crack at a world championship after his disheartening failure against Jason Moloney. However, it isn't just the WBC title that will be on the line, as the Japanese knockout artist will also look to extend his undefeated record to 28-0.

Elsewhere on the card, Kosei Tanaka defends his WBO super flyweight title against streaking Mexican boxer Jonathan Rodriguez. Furthermore, kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa will step in for his fourth professional boxing match against another fighter named Jonathan Rodriguez.

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#1. WBC bantamweight title: Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio

Junto Nakatani defends both his unbeaten status and WBC bantamweight title this Saturday in a bout that he should win handily. That isn't to say that Vincent Astrolabio is not a skilled boxer, because he is. However, the stylistic matchup isn't in his favor, at least on paper.

The Japanese knockout artist is large for the weight class, standing around at around 5 feet 7 inches tall, matching the dimensions of the great Canelo Alvarez, who fights several weight classes above. Meanwhile, Astrolabio is 5 feet 5 inches tall, and has struggled with closing the distance on longer foes in the past.

Nakatani is a range specialist, using a razor-sharp jab to manage distance and crack opponents who try to storm their way into pocket exchanges. As the taller fighter, he has a vested interest in keeping his opponent on the outside, sniping them with his jab from a range where his punches land and his foe's don't.

This allows him to rack up points and also set up his devastating left hand. The longer his opponent stands on the outside, the more frustrated they become with their inability to get close enough to Nakatani to land anything of significance. Eventually, they lash out and lunge into range, walking into his counters.

This is what befell Jason Moloney when he faced the Japanese star. He also makes excellent use of feints to draw his opponent toward his left hand, presenting an opening only to counter the counter. Astrolabio, meanwhile, is a serviceable and tough boxer who represents the Philippines well.

Unfortunately, the Filipino contender's recent win over Nawaphon Kaikanha revealed the limitations of his style. He often looks to take control of the center and apply pressure, which he did against Kaikanha. Though he still had noticeable struggles against the Thai's jab and range.

This cannot happen to him against Nakatani, lest he relegate himself to being picked apart on the outside before he is ultimately knocked out, which may very well happen.

The Prediction: Junto Nakatani via 9th round KO

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#2. The rest of the Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio fight card predictions

Elsewhere on the card, Kosei Tanaka defends his WBO junior bantamweight title against Mexico's Jonathan Rodriguez. Like the event headliner and his fellow Japanese countryman, Tanaka has a dangerous left hand, which he fires off like a lightning bolt with tremendous speed.

However, he doesn't fight at range. Instead, he marches forward, always looking to be on the front foot, welcoming pocket boxing exchanges, as he does not fear eating shots to land his own. Similarly, Rodriguez is a tough, hard-nosed boxer who does not shy away from a fire-fight.

Their bout will be exciting, but ultimately, Nakatani should emerge victorious.

The Prediction: Kosei Tanaka via split-decision

In more championship action, Riku Kano takes on Anthony Olascuaga for the vacant WBO flyweight title. Neither man has been particularly impressive. Kano hasn't fought elite-level competition and hasn't wowed anyone with his skills, least of all when he drew against the thoroughly unremarkable Daiki Kameyama (10-6-2).

However, Olascuaga has far less experience. Kano is, at least, 22-4-2. His opponent is just 6-1, with his only loss being a TKO against someone of similar experience to Kano. All signs point to Kano winning.

The Prediction: Riku Kano via 7th round TKO

The card also features the fourth professional fight for kickboxer extraordinaire Tenshin Nasukawa, who famously faced the great Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout that saw him get dismantled. Fotunately, Nasukawa has had a good start to his boxing career, with a perfect 3-0 run.

He isn't relying on his flashy kickboxing style, and is instead forging himself into a proper boxer with a tight grasp on fundamentals. The knockouts, thus, have not yet come as often as he'd like. His opponent, Puetro Rico's Jonathan Rodriguez, is significantly more experienced.

However, Rodriguez is the smaller fighter, moving up a division to face Nasukawa at bantamweight. Furthermore, his most recent outing resulted in a stoppage loss for him. Nasukawa should be expected to win and continue his path in boxing.

The Prediction: Tenshin Nasukawa via unanimous decision

Then, at super middleweight, amateur boxer Issei Aramoto fights former MMA fighter Nandin-Erdene Munguntsooj at super middleweight in his professional debut. Due to the massive gap in combat sports experience, Munguntsooj should claim victory.

The Prediction: Nandin-Erdene Munguntsooj via unanimous decision