Junto Nakatani knocked out David Cuellar on Monday morning to retain his WBC bantamweight title.
The unheralded challenger had never fought outside of his native Mexico before this week and proved no match for Nakatani.
X – Top RankNakatani made quick work of Cuellar[/caption]
After a cagey opener, Nakatani went through the gears to drop Cuellar twice in the third round.
The Japanese sensation decked Cuellar with a sweeping left to the body before swarming him against the ropes to force the stoppage in front of an adoring home crowd at the Ariake Arena in Koto-Ku, Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of his destructive victory, Nakatani was joined in the ring by IBF titleholder Ryosuke Nishida as they agreed to a unification bout next.
The plan is for Nakatani to pick up all four belts at bantamweight before moving up to super bantamweight to box undisputed champion Naoya Inoue in the biggest fight in Japanese boxing.
Nakatani and Inoue are both promoted by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who wants to match them up against each other either later this year or in early 2026.
Inoue is expected to return to action in June, with WBC mandatory Alan Picasso said to be the frontrunner.
Speaking about a future fight with Inoue, Nakatani said: “I want to establish myself as a great bantamweight and possibly move up in weight but it will be a year of challenges for me.
“I’m not setting any timeframe [for the Inoue fight]; next year, maybe further on.
“I really don’t know. But it’s something I’m looking forward to.
“It’ll be a big fight, not just in Japan, but around the world.
GettyNakatani retained his WBC bantamweight title[/caption]
“He [Inoue]’s rated as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters and along with that I have a lot of respect for him.
“And I’m influenced by him, I want to improve my rankings in the pound-for-pound as well.”
Nakatani (30-0) is ranked No.9 in the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list and is a three-weight world champion having previously held titles at flyweight and super flyweight.
Inoue (29-0) is placed at No.2 and is one of three male fighters in the four-belt era to have achieved undisputed supremacy in two separate weight classes alongside Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk.
‘The Monster’ knocked out England’s Paul Butler in 2022 to unify the bantamweight division before doing the same at super bantamweight by flattening Marlon Tapales one year later.
He is also a former WBO super flyweight and WBC light flyweight champion.
