Undefeated WBC bantamweight world champion and pound-for-pound great Junto Nakatani will make his first mandatory belt defense against Filipino star Vincent Astrolabio this weekend, in Tokyo, Japan.
The dynamic Japanese slugger is coming off a strong TKO win over Alexandro Santiago back in February, from whom he took the title. Astrolabio, who is a former WBO intercontinental and WBC international bantamweight champion, is also coming off a TKO win over Thailand's Nawaphon Kaikanha in August last year.
For specifics on the fight, such as start time, venue, and main event walkout, check out the information below:
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- Date: July 20, Saturday
- Venue: Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena, Tokyo, Japan
- Event start time: 10 am UK time/ 5 am ET
- Main event walkout time: 1 pm UK time/ 8 am ET
While the event starts at 10 am UK/5 am ET, the main event walkout time set for 1 pm UK/8 am ET is subject to change depending on the length of the fights in the undercard and main card.
Here's the main card of the event:
- Main event: Junto Nakatani (c) vs. Vincent Astrolabio - for WBC bantamweight world title
Main card:
- Kosei Tanaka (c) vs Jonathan Rodriguez - for WBO junior bantamweight world title
- Riku Kano vs Anthony Olascuaga - for vacant WBO flyweight world title
- Tenshin Nasukawa vs Jonathan Rodriguez - bantamweight
- Issei Aramoto vs Mongotsooj Nandinerdene - light-heavyweight
Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio in-depth look
Junto Nakatani is currently listed by The Ring magazine as the number 10 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world today. He shares the list with fellow Japanese great, undisputed king Naoya 'The Monster' Inoue, who sits at number 2. This is the first time two Japanese boxers made it to the The Ring pound-for-pound list at the same time in recent memory.
As for Astrolabio, he stopped no.1-ranked Nawaphon Kaikanha to earn his shot at Nakatani's WBC belt. The fight was a hotly-contested bout where the Filipino earned a TKO victory in the eleventh round.
Here's a more in-depth look into this match-up: