On May 2, at the Tokyo Dome, Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani headlines an Ohashi Promotions fight card. This showdown is one the boxing world has dreamed of, and it’s finally happening. They will collide for Inoue’s undisputed super bantamweight title. Ahead of this Japanese mega-fight, renowned boxing trainer Robert Garcia spoke to The Ring, revealing his prediction for the undisputed super bantamweight clash.
Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani set for May 2 showdown
Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) and Nakatani both fought on the same card last time out, The Ring V: Night of the Samurai. Inoue defeated David Picasso by unanimous decision, with scorecards of 120-108, 117-111, and 119-109.
Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) stepped up to super bantamweight for the first time on that card, defeating Sebastian Hernandez Reyes by unanimous decision, with two scorecards of 115-113, and a highly controversial 118-110 card.
Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani: Robert Garcia weighs in
Speaking to The Ring, Garcia broke down the fight and revealed his prediction for Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani:
“I pick Inoue to win a decision in a great fight, but it’s not going to be easy,” Garcia told The Ring. “I believe this will be the hardest and toughest fight of Inoue’s career. If he dominates and takes care of business comfortably, then he’s the real man.
“But it’s going to be a tough fight for Inoue. He’s been dropped twice, and Nakatani’s style is perfect to make it a close fight. Nakatani had a tough fight against Sebastian Hernandez in December, but it was the kind of fight that only makes you learn and get better.
“Nakatani is a solid fighter and loves to bring the action. He hits tremendously hard, and he needs to make it a rough fight to win. He has to take hard shots from Inoue and make him fight. He has to put the pressure on. He can’t throw one punch at a time because Inoue will counter, something that he’s good at. That’s the way to beat Inoue.
“Nakatani has a chin, is tall, lanky, and he needs to take this fight into the late rounds. I’ve known Nakatani for many years, and I go back with his trainer Rudy Hernandez for 40 years, and I’m actually rooting for them. Nakatani should have a great performance, but I see Inoue pulling it off.”
Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani full fight card
- Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani, 12 rounds, for Inoue’s undisputed super bantamweight title
- Takuma Inoue vs Kazuto Ioka, 12 rounds, for Inoue’s WBC bantamweight title
- Yoshiki Takei vs DeKang Wang, 8 rounds, super bantamweights
- Sora Tanaka vs Jin Sasaki, 10 rounds, welterweights
- Deok No Yun vs Yuito Moriwaki, rematch, 10 rounds, super middleweights
- Toshiki Shimomachi vs Reiya Abe, 10 rounds, featherweights
- Kosuke Tomioka vs Shogo Tanaka, 10 rounds, flyweights
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