In a result that will surprise no one, Japanese knockout artist Junto Nakatani retained his WBC bantamweight title by scoring a sixth-round TKO over unheralded Thai Petch Sor Chitpattana at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Monday. The official time was 2:59.
WATCH: Junto Nakatani vs. Petch Sor Chitpattana, exclusively on ESPN+
Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs) landed a skull-busting left hand in round six that stunned his man, and a rapid combination attack put him down. Sor Chitpattana got up at the count of nine and was given a lot of time to recover by referee Laurence Cole. However, southpaw Nakatani sustained the attack and closed out with a terminal left to the jaw.
"This is my third knockout since the [WBC bantamweight] title shot and I hope people are happy about it," said Nakatani via translator during his post-fight interview. "I knew my opponent was aggressive, so I slowed down and watched for him coming into me."
The first @BoxerJunto knockdown that set up the finish 🥶 pic.twitter.com/M1DJVFNdlL
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 14, 2024
A big left hand stunned Sor Chitpattana midway through round one and the writing was on the wall immediately. The challenger looked terrified of making a mistake, so Nakatani was forced to open him up with feints and superior agility.
Another solid left made Sor Chitpattana's legs stiffen in the second and the gulf in class was already disturbing. The jab and the right hook worked well for the champion and he stunned his opponent with another electrifying three-piece combo before the bell.
Sor Chitpattana did show some ambition, but the attacks were largely slow and crude, leaving him open to sharp counters. If Nakatani couldn't find the target with his formidable combination work, then he just thumped home an accurate right jab and stepped around.
Perhaps frustrated by not being able to find the finisher, Nakatani drifted inside in round five. By doing so, he gave Sor Chitpattana a chance to score with some solid blows to head and body. However, the champion won every exchange and dished out plenty of damage himself.
The precision of the finish was pure world-class.
MORE: SN's Top-12 best pound-for-pound boxers
The plan for Nakatani was to win this bout and move into a unification match against Takuma Inoue. However, Inoue was outpointed by countryman Seiya Tsutsumi on Sunday and lost his WBA belt. There's the possibility that Nakatani will now take on the new champion, but what every fight fan wants to see is a showdown with "The Monster" himself, Naoya Inoue.
"Anyone with a championship belt, I'm ready to fight," Nakatani told his home support.
Sor Chitpattana brought an incredible 76-1 record into this fight. While those numbers are impressive, the challenger's level of competition was woeful, with his only fight outside of Thailand ending in a points loss to Takuma Inoue in 2018. To transition from local journeyman to Nakatani is like going from the swimming pool to shark-infested waters.
Junto Nakatani vs. Petch Sor Chitpattana fight card
- Junto Nakatani (c) def. Petch Sor Chitpattana via TKO 6 (2:59) for the WBC bantamweight title
- Tenshin Nasukawa def. Gerwin Asilo via UD 10 (98-91, 98-91, 97-92); Bantamweights
- Phumelele Cafu def. Kosei Tanaka (c) via SD 12 (114-113, 114-113, 113-114) for the WBO super flyweight title
- Anthony Olascuaga (c) Tech. Draw Jonathan Gonzalez for the WBO flyweight title
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >
