Jyunjin Nakatani, “the man who aims at brothers Naoya and Takuma Inoue,” reveals the super evolution of his body.
At 2:21 of the first round, WBC bantamweight champion Junjin Nakatani (26) landed a straight left hand that pierced Vincent Astrolavio’s stomach. The next moment, the 27-year-old Filipino challenger kneels on the canvas in agony. He got up once, but fell back down again, his face contorted in pain, as if he were slumped over.
Seeing the damage done by Astrolavio, the referee crossed his arms and declared the fight over, and Nakatani successfully defended his title for the first time on July 20, 2024, in just 2 minutes and 37 seconds.
About five hours later, Nakatani reflected on his first-round KO victory.
I made it my theme to never let my opponent get into range,” Nakatani said. Before the bell rang for the first round, Rudy advised me to land a strong punch to scare Astrolavio, so I started with a straight shot to the face as a deterrent.
Nakatani’s straight left hand to the face of Astrolabio was effective, as it was delivered 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 71 seconds, 74 seconds, 110 seconds, and 125 seconds after the opening bell. The challenger was using hooks as his weapon of choice, but the champion was able to duck and dodge with his footwork and positioning. On this day, Nakatani kept his center of gravity lower than usual.
I tried to keep my center of gravity lower than usual,” said Nakatani. “In the first or second round, when your body is not warmed up, if you get hit by a strange punch, it will hurt you, so I tried to stay low and focused so that even if I did get hit, it would not be fatal. Astrolavio couldn’t come inside. I think I controlled him.”
The champion kept his distance as he landed a straight right hand. Feinting with his right fist, he timed his heavy shots. This led to the knockout scene. While the challenger was wary of Nakatani’s punches flying into his face, Nakatani was a true artist in finishing him with his body.
There is a saying in the boxing world, “It is a shame to be knocked down by a body blow because you can train your stomach as much as you want. It is rare for a fighter to sink in a straight blow, much less a thrusting uppercut; was the WBC champion’s straight blow that destructive, or was the challenger’s lack of coordination?
Nakatani explained the situation as follows: “It was a straight to the body,” he said.
It was a punch with no power. In camp, I practiced countering a straight left hook to the body when the opponent hit me with a straight. （I knew I would hit him, but I didn’t expect a straight back. The knockout blow was a result of my body moving on its own.
The champion’s words brought back memories of his trainer, Rudy Hernandez, who always says, “Everything on my menu is aimed at helping Jundt reach his full potential.
Hernandez is particular about the angle of his feet, down to a few millimeters. He also has Nakatani, a southpaw, move in an orthodox (right stance) position, and he has him spar for five minutes per round to build “Junto Nakatani,” who can respond to any situation. —Nakatani’s body moves on its own, and that leads to KOs. Hernandez’s teachings were paying off.
I didn’t really feel the left straight that finished the fight, because I wasn’t really exerting myself. I was thinking, ‘I wonder if he’s going to get up,’ but it seemed to work. I myself was stunned, because I had a feeling it was going to last a little longer.”
