Ex-Bantamweight Champion Nakatani Says He Can Go Beyond Naoya Inoue

A challenge against the strongest opponent

The ceiling height is 5.4 meters. In the spacious 127.53 m² area stands a ring of the same size used in world title matches, and six punching bags hang from above: 200 kg, 150 kg, 100 kg, 40 kg, one dedicated for uppercuts, and a mini-sized one.

This is the private gym built somewhere in Kanagawa Prefecture by Junto Nakatani (27), who vacated his WBC/IBF bantamweight titles after securing a challenge against the “Monster” Naoya Inoue (32). Since mid-September, on days without sparring, he has been training here. A treadmill is also installed so he can run even on rainy days.

At 15, Nakatani flew to the United States alone and acquired a true professional style in boxing’s home country. He is, so to speak, a re-imported fighter. He has claimed titles in the WBO flyweight, WBO super flyweight, and WBC/IBF bantamweight divisions, and now heads into the May showdown with Inoue aiming to become a four-division world champion. His current record is 31 wins, 24 by knockout, and no losses. Before every fight since his debut, he has held a training camp in Los Angeles—his origin—where he trains under famed coach Rudy Hernandez.

Nakatani had said he wanted to fight twice at super bantamweight before facing Inoue, but it now appears he will have only one tune-up bout: against Sebastián Hernández (25) on December 27. The fight will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The undefeated 31-0 (27 KO) Naoya Inoue, the unified WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion, will headline the event, with Nakatani scheduled as the co-main.

In Japan, his younger brother Ryuto serves as his trainer. The brother, two years younger, says:

“After deciding to move up to 122 pounds, my brother’s body has really become bigger. He had long said that moving to super bantamweight would allow him to make the most of his abilities, and in reality, he’s gained tremendous power. When I catch his punches on the mitts, my wrists and arms hurt because of the impact. His speed has increased too.”

Nakatani was invited by Inoue to Nagoya around the same time his private gym opened. From the front row ringside, he intensely watched the Monster defeat fellow southpaw challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev (30) by decision.

“As I watched, I felt Inoue could throw punches at all kinds of timings. Images naturally popped into my mind—how Iwould fight, how I would slip punches—and my body even moved a little in my seat (laughs). He’s without question the strongest opponent of my career, and this fight will test me.

Inoue fights by stepping in and out—sometimes closing the distance, sometimes pulling back. In the Akhmadaliev fight, he absolutely could have knocked him out if he’d wanted to. I could tell he was intentionally holding back. That was his way of respecting the danger of the opponent’s punch. I saw true strength in that. My job is to surpass all of it.”

To surpass the Monster—and surpass the version of himself today—Nakatani continues to forge his body and mind in his two tiger’s dens, one in Japan and one in the United States.

In the FRIDAY November 7 issue (on sale October 23) and the paid FRIDAY GOLD edition, he speaks candidly about the unique features of his private gym, his training regimen, how his body has changed since moving up to super bantamweight, and his strategies for the upcoming fight with Naoya Inoue.

From the November 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”