JUNTO Nakatani made a big statement in Tokyo, blasting Vincent Astrolabio in double quick time. Astrolabio was invincible, but no one had ever faced it like this.
As the clock ticked down on the opening round, the man from Kanagawa fell to the ground with a straight left to the body that left the normally sedentary Filipino writhing in pain. He barely hit referee Thomas Taylor before he fell to his knees, ensuring the end.
Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) explained afterward that he expected to go out longer but landed the right shot to end matters early. He humbly apologized to the crowd for not giving the right amount of money against Astrolabio (19-5, 14 KOs).
Many would argue that he gave exactly what the boxing world wanted to see. Making the first defense of the title he took from Alex Santiago in February, the fearsome champion is looking to unify the titles next or move up, depending on what options are available.
Nakatani called Naoya Inoue, saying that he will be strong and ready. Fight fans are definitely ready for such a spectacle. “I will take one step at a time but I know that in one stage the 'Monster' is waiting for me,” he added.
Naoya and Takuma Inoue (Naoki Fukuda)
Earlier on the card, Anthony Olascuaga captured the vacant WBO flyweight title with a third-round knockout of Riku Kano. Main event Nakatani later invited his stablemate Olascuaga to the ring to celebrate.
The ever-improving Tenshin Nasukawa submitted Puerto Rican Jonathan Rodriguez in the third round.
Kosei Tanaka's WBC super-flyweight title defense against Mexico's Jonathan Rodriguez was canned when the fighter ran overweight.
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