Junto Nakatani underlined his pound-for-pound credentials with a spectacular defence of his WBC bantamweight title against Vincent Astrolabio in Tokyo.
The champ floored the challenger in the first round with a brutal body shot that left the Filipino unable to get off the canvas, stunning not only the crowd, but the man who threw the punch.
"I thought it was going to be a long fight!" said Nakatani, who apologised for the length of a fight in which he barely had time to break a sweat. His career record now stands at 28-0, with 21 wins by knockout, although none have been quite so literally breathtaking.
Astrolabio (19-5, 14 KOs) exchanged some good counter-shots with Nakatani in the opening minute. It was tense, engaging, and finely balanced — everything that was expected when Manny Pacquiao's protege faced "The Monster".
And just like that, it was over.
DONE IN ROUND 1️⃣#NakataniAstrolabio | @BoxerJunto pic.twitter.com/6uQ891CHm2
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 20, 2024
Nakatani has built a reputation for spectacular finishes — see his 2023 knockout-of-the-year triumph over Andrew Moloney — but nobody saw this coming. The 26-year-old threw a quick right hand and, with Astrolabio's guard a little high, he followed up with a left jab of astonishing power to the midriff. There was a pause as the challenger hopped backwards to regain balance, ready to respond; he then crumpled to the canvas in agony. The crowd gasped as Astrolabio grimaced, unable even to get to his feet. Nakatani was almost too surprised to celebrate.
On the undercard, Anthony Olascuaga defeated Riku Kano for the vacant WBO flyweight title, while former kickboxing superstar and ill-fated Floyd Mayweather exhibition opponent Tenshin Nasukawa went 4-0 under the Queensberry Rules with a stunning third-round TKO of Jonathan Rodriguez.
WATCH: Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, exclusively on ESPN+
Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio fight card
- Junto Nakatani (c) def. Vincent Astrolabio via KO 1; defends WBC bantamweight title
- Anthony Olascuaga def. Riku Kano via TKO 3 for vacant WBO flyweight title
- Tenshin Nasukawa def. Jonathan Rodriguez via TKO 3; Super Bantamweights
- Issei Aramoto def. Mongontsooj Nandinerdene via TKO 6; Super Middleweight
How to watch Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio
- Date: Saturday, July 20
- Time: 4 a.m. ET | 1 a.m. PT
- Location: Ryogoku Kokugikan — Tokyo
- How to watch:
- U.S.: ESPN+
- U.K.: Sky Sports
- Canada: TSN+
- Australia: Kayo
Fight fans in the U.S. can watch Nakatani vs. Astrolabio on ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 on a monthly subscription and $109.99 on an annual subscription.
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