On July 20th, at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Japan, Junto Nakatani will defend his WBC bantamweight title (up to 53.5 kg) for the first time. His opponent will be 27-year-old Filipino Vincent Astrolabio.
Ready To Fight presents detailed statistics of the matchup and everything you need to know about the championship fight.
Junto Nakatani
Country: Japan
Age: 26
Weight Class: Bantamweight (up to 53.5 kg)
Height: 172 cm
Reach: 170 cm
Stance: Southpaw
Record: 27 wins, 20 by KO, 0 losses
KO Percentage: 74.07%
Total Rounds Fought: 136
Recent Fights:
- TKO victory in the 6th round against Alexandro Santiago
- Unanimous decision victory (UD 12) against Argi Cortes
- KO victory in the 12th round against Andrew Moloney
- Unanimous decision victory (UD 10) against Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
- TKO victory in the 8th round against Ryota Yamauchi
Total Rounds in Recent Fights: 48
Average Rounds in Recent Fights: 9.6 rounds
Longest and Shortest Recent Fights: Longest – 12 rounds / Shortest – 6 rounds (TKO victory)
KO Percentage in Recent Fights: 60%
Combined Record of Opponents at the Time of Fight: 122 wins, 14 losses, 8 draws
Best Record Among Recent Opponents: Andrew Moloney (25 wins, 2 losses at the time of the fight)
Worst Record Among Recent Opponents: Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (36 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw at the time of the fight)
Vincent Astrolabio
Country: Philippines
Age: 27
Weight Class: Bantamweight (up to 53.5 kg)
Height: 165 cm
Reach: 166 cm
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 19 wins, 14 by KO, 4 losses
KO Percentage: 73.6%
Total Rounds Fought: 141
Recent Fights:
- TKO victory in the 11th round against Navapon Khaikanha
- Majority decision loss (MD 12) against Jason Moloney
- KO victory in the 6th round against Nikolai Potapov
- Unanimous decision victory (UD 10) against Guillermo Rigondeaux
- TKO victory in the 1st round against Jerry Pabila
Total Rounds in Recent Fights: 40
Average Rounds in Recent Fights: 8 rounds
Longest and Shortest Recent Fights: Longest – 12 rounds / Shortest – 1 round (TKO victory)
KO Percentage in Recent Fights: 60%
Combined Record of Opponents at the Time of Fight: 132 wins, 12 losses, 2 draws
Best Record Among Recent Opponents: Guillermo Rigondeaux (20 wins, 2 losses at the time of the fight)
Worst Record Among Recent Opponents: Jerry Pabila (6 wins, 4 losses at the time of the fight)
Fight Background
At 26, Nakatani is a three-weight world champion. He held the WBO flyweight title (up to 50.8 kg), the WBO junior bantamweight title (up to 52.2 kg), and now holds the WBC bantamweight title (up to 53.5 kg). Nakatani won the WBC belt in February 2024 by defeating Alexandro Santiago. By that time, the Mexican had not lost in over two years, but Nakatani's long reach and heavy punches proved too much. In the 6th round, Nakatani landed a solid left hook, sending the reigning champion to the canvas. Moments later, Santiago was dethroned.
Astrolabio has not fought in 2024, and 2023 was a mixed year for him. First, he lost to Jason Moloney by majority decision – one judge scored it 114-114, while the other two scored it 115-113 and 116-112. Following this, the Filipino traveled to Thailand to face Navapon Khaikanha. The bout for the WBC title challenger status ended with Astrolabio knocking out Kaikanha in the 11th round.
Astrolabio is a tough fighter with heavy hands, relying on his physical power both defensively and offensively. In 2022, Vincent managed to stagger Guillermo Rigondeaux. The Cuban fought well but typically too passively, ultimately losing by a narrow decision, mainly due to a knockdown.
The power of both fighters is something their opponents need to reckon with. Nakatani skillfully uses his size, landing punches from distances that often only become clear in slow motion, showing his subtle movements. Astrolabio has comparable power but will need to work harder due to his more static defense and smaller stature.
Additional Facts About the Matchup:
- This will be Nakatani's seventh fight against a Filipino. So far, his record against Filipino fighters is 6 fights, 6 wins, 6 KOs, with a total of 25 rounds fought.
Victims include: Joetex Tadoran (TKO 6), Jeronil Borres (KO 1), Dexter Alimento (KO 3), Philip Luis Cuerdo (KO 1), Milan Melindo (TKO 6), and Giemel Magramo (KO 8).
- Astrolabio has fought only one Japanese opponent – he faced Yuki Kobayashi in 2018 and lost by TKO in the 8th round.
- Both Nakatani and Astrolabio have fought against the Moloney twins. In May 2023, Vincent lost to Jason Moloney by majority decision. A week later, Nakatani fought Andrew Moloney in the undercard of Lomachenko vs. Haney. Nakatani's knockout in that fight is considered one of the best in his career.
- Vincent Astrolabio has never fought in Japan. His debut in a new country against one of the top local boxers is a significant challenge.
- Nakatani is one of the most decorated Japanese boxers in history. He has already won 3 titles, surpassed only by Kazuto Ioka (7 belts) and Naoya Inoue (10 belts).