Junto Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida battle it out on Sunday, June 8, live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The pair square off in a bantamweight championship unification with two titles at stake.
Three-division world champion Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) brings his WBC belt to the ring, making the fourth defense of his title. The 27-year-old southpaw claimed the strap against Alexandro Santiago last February. Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs) puts his IBF title on the line. The 28-year-old southpaw makes his second championship defense.
On the Nakatani vs Nishida undercard, former Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa (6-0, 2 KOs) takes on Dominican Victor Santillan (14-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder at bantamweight. Plus, Tomoya Tsuboi (1-0, 1 KO) of Japan and Tran Van Thao (18-1, 10 KOs) of Vietnam clash in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight belt.
Additionally, another 10-round bantamweight matchup pits Riku Masuda (7-1, 7 KOs) of Japan against Michell Banquez (23-5, 15 KOs) of Venezuela.
Nakatani vs Nishida live blog
Junto Nakatani stops Ryosuke Nishida in six rounds to unify titles
Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) dominates Ryosuke Nishida (10-1, 2 KOs) to win a two-belt bantamweight championship unification. Nishida’s corner stopped the fight after the sixth round. Nakatani retains his WBC title and claims the IBF belt.
Main event time: Nakatani vs Nishida for unified 118-pound titles
The main event features three-weight champion Junto Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) up against fellow Japanese champion Ryosuke Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs). Nakatani puts his WBC title on the line, while Nishida’s IBF belt is also up for grabs. The championship unification bout is scheduled for 12 rounds.
Tenshin Nasukawa defeats Victor Santillan by decision
Former Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa (7-0, 2 KOs) defeats Dominican Victor Santillan (14-2, 5 KOs) by unanimous decision in a 10-rounder at bantamweight. The judges scored the fight 99-91, 99-91, and 100-90.
Tomoya Tsuboi defeats Tran Van Thao by decision
Tomoya Tsuboi (2-0, 1 KO) of Japan defeats Tran Van Thao (18-2, 10 KOs) of Vietnam by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title. The judges scored the 10-round bout 100-90, 98-92, and 100-90.
Riku Masuda KO's Michell Banquez in first round
Riku Masuda (8-1, 8 KOs) of Japan defeats Venezuela’s Michell Banquez (23-6, 15 KOs) by knockout in the first round at bantamweight.
Rukia Okubo stops Takumi Yoneya in third round
Rukia Okubo (2-1-1, 2 KOs) stops Takumi Yoneya (0-2) in the third round at minimumweight. The time of the stoppage was 0:52 into the round.
Riku Miyashita defeats Toya Oshima by decision
Riku Miyashita (1-0) makes a successful pro debut, defeating Toya Oshima (0-1) by unanimous decision. After four rounds at super flyweight, the scores were 38-37, 38-37, and 39-36.
Full fight video: Naoya Inoue stops Nonito Donaire in rematch
In the lead-up to tonight’s event in Tokyo, Top Rank released a full fight video featuring Naoya Inoue in his rematch with Nonito Donaire. The pair squared off for the second time in June 2022 in Saitama, battling for the unified title with three belts on the line.
Video: Nakatani vs Nishida final face-off
In case you missed it – at the official weigh-in ceremony, Junto Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida went face to face for the final time ahead of their bout.
Nakatani vs Nishida: How to watch & start time
Nakatani vs Nishida airs live on ESPN+. The start time in the U.S. is 4:30 AM ET / 1:30 AM PT. A VPN service, such as ExpressVPN, might be helpful to stream from a different location.
Nakatani vs Nishida results
Get Nakatani vs Nishida full fight card results below.
- Junto Nakatani def. Ryosuke Nishida by TKO (R6, 3:00)
- Tenshin Nasukawa def. Victor Santillan by unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 100-90)
- Tomoya Tsuboi def. Tran Van Thao by unanimous decision (100-90, 98-92, 100-90)
- Riku Masuda def. Michell Banquez by KO (R1, 1:27)
- Rukia Okubo def. Takumi Yoneya by TKO (R3, 0:52)
- Riku Miyashita def. Toya Oshima by unanimous decision (38-37, 38-37, 39-36)