JUNTO Nakatani continues his hunt of countryman Naoya Inoue by tackling an undefeated Mexican on February 24 in the Ariake Arena, Tokyo, with another statement performance in mind. Nakatani puts his WBC bantamweight on the line against David Cuellar Contreras on a Teiken Promotions card, boosted by two other stand-out Japanese stars of the ring.
Aged 26, sporting a 29-0 record with 22 KOs, many of those in the explosive bracket, this Japanese southpaw has already won the WBO flyweight and WBO super-flyweight world titles. In February, he stepped up to bantamweight to breeze through Alexandro Santiago for the WBC crown.
A one-round body dissection of Vincent Astrolabio in July was followed by an October dismantling of 76-1 Tasana Salapat. This will be the third defence of Junto’s 118-pound strap.
Visitor Cuellar, unbeaten in 28 fights (18 KOs), will be hoping to avoid becoming yet another stepping stone towards an Inoue clash. 23-year-old Cuellar has boxed exclusively in Mexico thus far since turning pro in 2017. The names on his record pale in comparison to Nakatani. Beating the likes of Luis Concepcion and Jose Velasquez is solid form, but will it prepare him for the devastation Nakatani brings to the ring?
Supporting Nakatani, fresh from his stirring world title-winning effort in October, defeating Takuma Inoue on points, Seiya Tsutsumi defends the WBA bantamweight strap he acquired that evening.
Challenger Daigo Higa has been through the mill at times and now has three losses on his slate. His September defeat to Yoshiki Takei was razor-thin and he exited with the credit of some observers feeling he’d done enough to win. This should be an all-action affair.
Tenshin Nasukawa takes a considerable leap in class when he meets Australia’s Jason Moloney over 10 rounds. Moloney once held the WBO bantamweight title and has faced the likes of Naoya Inoue during his 10-year career.
Once a popular kickboxer, Nasukawa has shed the novelty tag attached to him after his 2018 exhibition with Floyd Mayweather and has matured into a promising prospect.
