Boxing
Junto Nakatani takes aim at big Japanese rival ahead of Saudi debut
Ring V: Inoue vs Picasso on DAZN PPV - Dec 27
Junto Nakatani has his sights firmly on Naoya Inoue ahead of his big fight in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
After ruling at bantamweight, Nakatani (31-0) steps up to super bantamweight to face fellow unbeaten rival Sebastian Hernandez on The Ring V: Night of the Samurai card on Saturday, live on DAZN PPV.
Topping the superb card in Riyadh is Inoue as he puts his undisputed super bantamweight titles on the line against Alan Picasso (32-0-1) in a fantastic main event.
Now they’re at the same weight, the Japanese superstars could be on a collision course for a bout next year and Nakatani knows he needs to beat his compatriot if he’s to achieve his goal of becoming the pound-for-pound number 1.
“First I have to prove it,” Nakatani told Inside The Ring.
“I have to prove I’m the best at super bantamweight and to do that I have to beat the guy everybody says is the best, and that’s Naoya Inoue.”
“I realise that it’s a fight that everybody wants to see, and that’s a source of motivation for me.”
“I’ve watched a lot of Inoue’s fights and they’ve provided me with a lot of stimulation, and even more now that we’re in the same weight class.
“I’ve always kind of viewed him as the guy, he’s like a destination I strive to get to, and more now that we’re the same weight that is a motivation for sure.
However, Nakatani knows he can’t look past the challenge posed by Hernandez and he is very much up for the challenge the Mexican poses.
“At the same time this is kind of me building one fight at a time, and the Hernandez fight coming up is going to the next step towards that.
“Kind of within that flow, the Inoue fight will come.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting in Saudi Arabia for the first time, I think it’s going to be a good step in my career.
“To be on an all-Japanese care like this, I do think it kind of places a marker globally.”
Watch Ring V Inoue vs. Picasso on DAZN PPV
Naoya Inoue and Alan Picasso headline the Ring V fight night, exclusively on DAZN PPV on December 27.
Purchase as a one-off PPV, or get included at no extra cost with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription, which includes minimum of 12 PPV events per year, plus another 185 fight nights. Monthly and annual options available.
Sign up for Ultimate for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here.
