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.”

Nakatani added the white star against Astrolavio to his own record of 28 fights with 21 KOs. This defense was reminiscent of the fight that won the “KO of The Year” award for ’23 by Ring magazine in the US. His first defense of the WBC bantamweight title was no less brilliant than that KO.

The champion responded.

In terms of an artistic knockout, I think the May 2011 fight was better than this one (laughs). (Laughs) But recently, I’ve been able to show the kind of boxing I’m trying to do.

Nakatani said the same words around the time the Astrolavio fight was decided. Although he struggled with weight loss in the super flyweight division, Nakatani himself feels that his two fights at bantam have been a great response.

In the WBO super flyweight defense, I think I lacked concentration in some areas,” he said at ……. I also reflected that my upper body was also standing up. This time, there were a lot of straight strikes in the match. I appreciate the fact that Rudy has thought about the menu and created a situation where I could move naturally so that it would become ingrained in my body. I was also able to deliver my final punch smoothly. As in the previous match, I feel that I am now able to develop my boxing without effort. That’s a big part of it. I think I have won my last two fights with good content.”

Both men walked down the ramp together with smiles on their faces.

I felt good,” said Olasuquaga. I finished the fight with no damage, and Tony (Olasuquaga’s nickname) is now a world champion. Rudy told me, ‘You have zero damage, so you can fight right away’ (laughs).

As you know, there are four major boxing organizations in the world today: WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO. The fact that there are four belts in the same division means that there are many world champions. In other words, there is a superiority among the world champions. That is why there is a tendency to aim for Undisputed unification of the four organizations in order to become the strongest in both name and reality.

In December 2010, Naoya Inoue, who had four belts in the bantamweight division, vacated all of them and switched to super bantam, which weighs 55.34 kilograms or less, and reigns as a four-time champion and Undisputed in this class as well.

53.The bantamweight division, which has a maximum weight limit of 52 kilograms, is today dominated by four Japanese fighters: Nakatani of the WBC, Takuma Inoue of the WBA, Ryosuke Nishida of the IBF, and Yuki Takei of the WBO. However, Nakatani’s ability cannot be compared to the other three. Being named “KO of The Year” means that he is recognized by boxing fans around the world.

I would like to have a big match such as a unification fight. I have a high opinion of Takuma Inoue, so I really want to make it happen. I hear that he also has a fight with a designated challenger, and I hope we can make it happen as soon as possible.”

The WBA bantamweight champion has also publicly stated that he wants to unify the bantamweight belt that his brother vacated, so he cannot avoid Nakatani.

Rudy Hernandez, who trained his own brother, the late Genaro, to become a world champion and has coached Nakatani since he was 15 years old, said the following the day after his first defense of the WBC bantamweight title.

Both Jundt and Tony won well, and it was a great night. I’d be happy to fight anyone of Junto’s opponents if we could get a unification fight. I respect all the fighters and I don’t take them lightly. I know the fans are looking forward to a fight between Jundt and Naoya Inouye. Naoya is the best ever in Japanese boxing and is the pound-for-pound KING. By all accounts, he is the number one boxer in the world. I respect him with all my heart.

If we have to fight Naoya, we will be facing the …… best of the best. When you are up against a legend, you don’t have much to lose. We will put on everything we have to get results and win. Fighting for victory is our duty as well as his. If it were really decided, we would win.”

If the Naoya Inoue vs. Junjin Nakatani fight is decided, the Tokyo Dome will be packed. Already, U.S. boxing journalism is also keenly anticipating the event in the next few years. Before that, I sincerely hope that the unification fight at bantamweight, which Nakatani himself is eagerly awaiting, will be realized.

—Nakatani’s body moves on its own and he gets the KO. Nakatani, who is still growing, is sure to show another impressive victory in the bantamweight division.