WBC STATISTICS
WBC Bantamweight World Championship
June 8, 2025 / Tokyo, Japan / Ariake Arena
TEIKEN PROMOTIONS and TOP RANK PRESENT:
JUNTO NAKATANI (Japan)
· WBC Bantamweight World Champion, 4th Defense
Age: 27 / Date of birth: January 2, 1998
Residence: Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan / Birthplace: Inabe-Gun, Toin Cho, Mie, Japan
Record: 30-0, 23 KOs / Total rounds: 146 / World championship fights: 9-0, 8 KOs
Height: 5’7” – 170cm / Reach: 67” – 170cm / Stance: Left-handed
Promoter: Akihiko Honda / Manager: Takeshi Murano / Trainer: Rudy Hernandez
RYOSUKE NISHIDA (Japan)
IBF Bantamweight World Champion, 2nd Defense
Age: 28 / Date of birth: August 7, 1996
Residence: Osaka, Japan / Birthplace: Kashiba, Nara, Japan Record: 10-0, 2 KOs / Total rounds: 92
Height: 5’8.5” – 174cm / Reach: 68” – 173cm / Stance: Left-handed
Promoter: Kameda Promotions Trainer: Kosuke Takeichi
WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS
1. Eder Jofre (Brazil) 1963 – 1965
2. Masahiko Harada (Jap) 1965 – 1968
3. Lionel Rose (Aust) 1968 – 1969
4. Ruben Olivares (Mex) 1969 – 1970
5. Chucho Castillo (Mex) 1970 – 1971
6. Ruben Olivares (Mex) * 1971 – 1972
7. Rafael Herrera (Mex) 1972
8. Enrique Pinder (Pan) 1972
9. Rafael Herrera (Mex) * 1973 – 1974
10. Rodolfo Martinez (Mex) 1974 – 1976
11. Carlos Zarate (Mex) 1976 – 1979
12. Lupe Pintor (Mex) 1979 – 1982
13. Albert Davila (US) 1983 – 1984
14. Daniel Zaragoza (Mex) 1985
15. Miguel Lora (Col) 1985 – 1988
16. Raul Perez (Mex) 1988 – 1991
17. Greg Richardson (US) 1991
18. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) 1991 – 1993
19. Victor Rabanales (Mex) Interim 1992 – 1993
20. Jungil Byun (Kor) 1993
21. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) Interim * 1993 – 1994
22. Yasuei Yakushiji (Jap) 1993 – 1995
23. Wayne McCullough (Ire) 1995 – 1996
24. Sirimongkol Singmanassuk (Thai) 1996 – 1997
25. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) * 1997 – 1998
26. Veeraphol Nakhonluang (Thai) 1998 – 2005
27. Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan) 2005 – 2010
28. Fernando Montiel (Mexico) 2010 – 2011
29. Nonito Donaire (Phil) 2011
30. Shinsuke Yamanaka (Japan) 2011 – 2017
31. Luis Nery (Mexico) 2017 – 2018
32. Takuma Inoue (Japan) Interim 2018
33. Nordine Oubaali (France) 2019 – 2021
34. Nonito Donaire (Phil)* 2021 – 2022
35. Naoya Inoue (Japan) 2022
36. Alexandro Santiago (Mexico) 2023 – 2024
37. Junto Nakatani (Japan) 2024 –
*Regained
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY:
32 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, four of whom have regained the title: Ruben Olivares (Mexico), Rafael Herrera (Mexico), Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Japan) two times, Nonito Donaire.
143 bantamweight world title bouts have been held in WBC history.
WBC TOP 10 BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
1. Carlos Zarate (Mexico)
2. Eder Jofre (Brazil)
3. Ruben Olivares (Mexico)
4. Rafael Herrera (Mexico)
5. Veeraphol Nakhonluang (Thai)
6. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Japan)
7. Jungil Byun (Korea)
8. Yasuei Yakushiji (Japan)
9. Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan)
10. Shinsuke Yamanaka (Japan)
MEMORABLE WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
Oct. 14, 2024 Junto Nakatani TKO6 Petch Sor Chitpattana – Tokyo, Japan
Oct. 14, 2024 Junto Nakatani TKO6 Petch Sor Chitpattana – Tokyo, Japan
July 20, 2024 Junto Nakatani KO7 Vincent Astrolabio – Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 24, 2024 Junto Nakatani TKO6 Alexandro Santiago – Tokyo, Japan
July 29, 2023 Alexandro Santiago W12 Nonito Donaire – Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec.13, 2022 Naoya Inoue KO11 Paul Butler – Tokyo, Japan
June 7, 2022 Naoya Inoue TKO2 Nonito Donaire – Saitama, Japan
Dec. 11, 2021 Nonito Donaire KO4 Reymart Gaballo – Carson, California
May 29, 2021 Nonito Donaire KO4 Nordine Oubaali – Carson, California
Nov. 7, 2019 Nordine Oubaali W12 Takuma Inoue – Saitama, Japan
Jan. 19, 2019 Nordine Oubaali W12 Rau’Shee Warren – Las Vegas, Nevada
Aug. 15, 2017 Luis Nery KO4 Shinsuke Yamanaka – Kyoto, Japan
Sep. 22, 2015 Shinsuke Yamanaka W12 Anselmo Moreno – Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 6, 2011 Shinsuke Yamanaka TKO11 Christian Esquivel – Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 19, 2011 Nonito Donaire TKO2 Fernando Montiel – Las Vegas, Nevada
Apr. 30, 2010 Fernando Montiel TKO4 Hozumi Hasegawa – Tokyo, Japan
Apr. 16, 2005 Hozumi Hasegawa W12 Veeraphol Sahaprom – Tokyo, Japan
June 25, 2000 Veeraphol Sahaprom W12 Toshiaki Nishioka – Takasago, Japan
Aug. 10, 1996 Sirimongkol Singwancha TKO5 Jose Luis Bueno – Phitsanulok, Thailand
Jul. 30, 1995 Wayne McCullough W12 Yasuei Yakushiji – Nagoya, Japan
Sep. 17, 1992 Victor Rabanales TKO9 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi – Osaka, Japan
Sep. 19, 1991 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi TKO10 Greg Richardson – Moriguchi, Japan
Oct. 29, 1988 Raul Perez W12 Miguel Lora – Las Vegas, Nevada
Aug. 9, 1985 Miguel Lora W12 Daniel Zaragoza – Miami, Florida
June 3, 1979 Lupe Pintor W15 Carlos Zarate – Las Vegas, Nevada
May 8, 1976 Carlos Zarate KO9 Rodolfo Martinez – Inglewood, California
Dec. 7, 1974 Rodolfo Martinez TKO4 Rafael Herrera – Merida, Yucatan
Mar. 19, 1972 Rafael Herrera KO5 Ruben Olivares – Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Aug. 22, 1969 Ruben Olivares KO4 Lionel Rose – Inglewood, California
Mar. 8, 1969 Lionel Rose W15 Alan Rudkin – Melbourne, Australia
May 18, 1965 Fighting Harada W15 Eder Jofre – Nagoya, Japan
Apr. 4, 1963 Eder Jofre KO3 Katsutoshi Aoki – Tokyo, Japan
No stone left unturned for Nakatani Vs Nishida
By James Blears
A heavy hitter against a light hitter when WBC Bantamweight Champion Junto Nakatani 30-0, 23 KO`s fights a Unification Championship with IBF Champion Ryosuke Nishida 10-0. 2KO`s, at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, on June 8th.
Southpaw Ryosuke who won his title from Emmanuel Rodriguez last year, dropping him with a body shot in round four on the way to a convincing UD and has already successfully defended once, stopping Anuchai Donsua via a KO body shot in round seven, is well aware of magma-magnitude of the task ahead and is unfazed. He boldly and defiantly states about the stakes: ‘’I see no choice to face a boxer, who people say is stronger than me. I`m not going to be a stepping-stone for him.’’
Junto who knows he`s up against a stylist, rather than a chiller or nihilist, muses: ‘’I`ve been looking for this kind of fight. I`m ready to raise the level of my skills.’’ His famed Coach Rudy Hernandez is busy adding polish, burnish, bling and gleam to ‘’Big Bang`s’’ already fabled poleaxing power, especially when unleashing his chilling straight lightning bolt left.
All four bantamweight titles are currently in Japanese hands. Seiya Tsutsumi is the WBA Champion and Yoshiki Takei is the WBO Champion.
Ryosuke who turned pro in 2019, hasn`t had enough bouts or time to prove how heavy handed he can be. He has only fought 92 rounds, compared to Junto`s 146 rounds. Junto turned pro four years earlier than him.
Ryosuke has decent credentials. He won a UD over former WBO bantamweight challenger Shohei Omori in his third bout. Then a UD over former WBC flyweight Champion Daigo Higa and he defeated IBF Champion Emanuel Rodriguez.
On the other hand, Junto who is also a southpaw has already been a world champion at flyweight and super-flyweight, before landing at bantamweight. It`s arguably his best weight yet, into which he has naturally grown, thanks to his big frame.
He dropped much shorter WBC bantamweight champion Alexandro Santiago with a massive left in round six. Shellshocked Alex bravely got up to be felled again. This time with a poleaxing right.
As Champion, Junto made short work of Vincent Astrolabio, clobbering him to the midriff with a jarring left in round one, and Vince, with an agonized wince, was unable to beat the count.
Then on to Petch Sor Chitpattana who he dropped twice in the sixth. Referee Laurence Cole then stopped it in a timely manner. Junto demolished hitherto unbeaten David ‘’General’’ Cuellar in the third. A big left dropped David, who beat the count to be bombarded by yet more lefts. He went down again and this time, he was unable to get up before the doleful ten decimal was reached.
Junto and Naoya ‘’Monster’’ Inoue have already shaken hands on a Mega Bout next year. It will be the biggest fight between Japanese boxers in at least half a century. Tokyo would be the ideal setting, but Las Vegas or Riyadh are not beyond the bounds or realms of possibility. Both undefeated Stars are steadfastly determined that no fly in the ointment will deflect or detract them from winging their way towards that El Dorado. Yet stranger things have happened in Boxing. Just one punch can alter, tip the font and ruin the best prepared sermons or prophecies.
Before that clash Naoya must tighten his defence. Nonito Donaire busted up his face with a left hook. Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas have put him down with left hooks.
Returning to the matter at hand, Ryosuke would do well to employ his body-punching skills, to prove the case that he`s not a fly swatter.
Legendary Coach Cus D`Amato admired the defensive skills of light-hitting two- time light heavyweight champion Maxie ‘’Slapsie’’ Rosenbloom, who only stopped nineteen opponents in two hundred and ninety- eight fights. Maxie put it this way..and that:
‘’I didn`t want to hurt nobody. Just smack `em around and let `em know who`s boss.’’
Fast forwarding eight decades to the here and now. Ryosuke must punch with bossy authority, rather than finesse. ‘’Deck-adence’’ rather than elegance, in order to gain and earn Junto`s respect. Junto is a hunter in the ring and it won`t be possible to stick and run or evade indefinitely. At some point, his compatriot must stand and fight, but in so doing, chose the ways and means carefully, or it`ll prove his downfall.
Every boxer will confide, that there are butterflies in the tummy, yet under control and in check, rather than fraying and jangling, leading up to the first bell clanging. Junto is no exception. He reflects: ‘’Every man has worries of his own. But if I carry my worry into the ring, that`s no good. It would result in bad!’’
To avoid being a stepping stone and in order to pave his own destiny, Ryosuke must prove to be a pebble in the shoe, while avoiding Junto unloading on him like a ton of bricks, to cement a concrete victory.
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