Junto Nakatani vs. David Cuéllar Headlines Bantamweight Tripleheader – Full Card Preview

Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs) and David Cuéllar (28-0, 18 KOs) will soon clash for the WBC bantamweight world title.

Their bout headlines a Teiken Promotions card at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Boxing fans in Japan can catch the action live on Prime Video. Those in the United States can do so with ESPN+. In México, it will air on ESPN KnockOut.

Ahead of this February 24 card, Big Fight Weekend previews each bout that will air on ESPN+.

Junto Nakatani vs. David Cuéllar Fight Card Preview

Junto Nakatani vs. David Cuéllar

This will be a 12-round bantamweight clash in which Nakatani will defend his WBC title against Cuéllar. The reigning champion won the belt against Alexandro Santiago in early 2024. This will be his third defence of the world title. Nakatani is also a former super flyweight and flyweight champion. He is the favourite going into this contest.

On the other hand, Cuéllar will be entering his first-ever world title contest. In the past, he has fought at flyweight and super flyweight but has settled in at bantamweight as of late. The WBC currently have Cuéllar ranked sixth in their rankings. Despite being the underdog, Cuéllar has expressed confidence in bringing the world title back to México.

Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Daigo Higa

On the undercard, Seiya Tsutsumi (12-0-2, 8 KOs) will defend his WBA bantamweight title against Daigo Higa (21-3-1, 19 KOs). This will be the reigning champion’s first-ever defence of the belt after winning it in late 2024 against Takuma Inoue. Tsutsumi previously reigned as the Japanese bantamweight champion. In Higa, he will be facing a fellow Japanese opponent.

Higa was once the WBC flyweight champion, making two defences of the title before losing it on the scales ahead of his clash against Cristofer Rosales, whom he eventually lost to via technical knockout. Since then, the former titlist has competed as a bantamweight. His last fight saw him lose a unanimous decision to Yoshiki Takei, who holds the WBO 118-lb title. Against Tsutsumi, he gets another chance to challenge for world honours.

Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Jason Moloney

Tenshin Nasukawa (5-0, 2 KOs) and Jason Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs) will be competing in a 10-round contest that serves as an eliminator for the WBO bantamweight world title. Moloney previously reigned as the WBO 118-lb champion, making one defence before losing to Takei in May last year. A win for the Australian gets him back in line to challenge again for that title. At 34, it may be a final chance for Moloney to be within reach of a world title.

Nasukawa is someone who made a name for himself as a kickboxer. As a boxer, however, he has not done too badly. Despite having only five fights to his name, a win against Moloney gets him within reach of a world title. Nasukawa will be facing someone with significantly more experience. Should he emerge victorious, it will be a massive statement and proof that he is also capable in the boxing world.

Stay with Big Fight Weekend for coverage of Nakatani vs Cuéllar, including results, video highlights, and post-fight analysis of all three intriguing contests.