Top Rank Close to Co-Promotional Deal with Dangerous Big-Punching Southpaw
Top Rank have recently made a high-profile addition to their stacked stable, with Jaime Munguia departing Golden Boy for Top Rank. It now appears WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) will be following in his footsteps and moving to Top Rank as part of a co-promotional agreement with Teiken Promotions, as revealed by Dan Rafael on his Fight Freaks Unite Substack.
Top Rank Close to Co-Promotional Deal With Junto Nakatani
Nakatani ‘Will Fight in the U.S. And Headline During the Deal’
Teiken and Top Rank have a close relationship, which will see the promoters combine to guide Nakatani’s career and bring him to fight in the United States. Rafael also revealed as per sources, that the heavy-handed Japanese southpaw “will fight in the U.S. and headline during this deal.”
Read More: ‘There’s the Monster Waiting’: Junto Nakatani Talks Possible Next Opponents
Nakatani made his first WBC defence when he beat Vincent Astrolabio, with a heavy body shot first-round knockout on July 20. The entire card in Tokyo was shown live on ESPN+ who regularly pick up Teiken’s U.S. media rights, so the co-promotional deal with Top Rank would seemingly be a seamless one. After his recent win over Astrolabio, Nakatani spoke about potentially facing Takuma Inoue, with a potential move up to super bantamweight to face Naoya Inoue still on the table.
Previous U.S. Fights
Nakatani has boxed in the U.S. previously when he dismantled Andrew Moloney on May 20, 2023, before delivering a devastating KO in round 12. Many considered that as the KO of the year, which saw the big-punching southpaw collect the WBC strap. In his other American fight, he brutally stopped Angel Acosta in the fourth round of their WBO world flyweight bout.
Read More: Junto Nakatani Steals the Show on World Title Tripleheader in Japan
Nakatani is a nightmare for anyone to face and it’s difficult to envisage him losing. He controls the distance brilliantly with his long reach but is also more than adept inside, boxing in close quarters.
Freelance Writer and Digital Marketer, spending most of his time waiting for Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk II. Also watches YouTube videos of Lennox Lewis fights on a daily basis.
