Junto Nakatani looks to continue his reign as WBC bantamweight champion when he defends the title in Japan against Vincent Astrolabio.
Nakatani (27-0) is a three-division champion, holding gold at flyweight and super flyweight. The 26-year-old landed the 2023 Knockout of the Year against Andrew Moloney to win the WBO super flyweight title. His last fight was a TKO win in February against Alexandro Santiago to claim the WBC belt.
Astrolabio (19-4) is 2-1 in his last three fights. The Filipino failed to capture the WBO bantamweight title against Jason Moloney in May 2023 but rebounded a few months later against Navapon Khaikanha. With Nakatani and pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue on a potential collision course next year, Astrolabio is ready to play spoiler.
WATCH: Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, exclusively on ESPN+
“Vincent learned so much from his first title shot that he’s going to take into this fight,” manager Sean Gibbons told Boxing Scene. “He’s coming to Japan with heavy hands, looking at the big opportunity of winning a world title against a guy like this… being a champion around this weight class puts everyone in the (Naoya) Inoue sweepstakes.”
The fight is one of multiple world title bouts on the card. Riku Kano and Anthony Olascuaga compete for the vacant WBO flyweight title. Kosei Tanaka was supposed to defend the WBO super flyweight title against Jonathan Rodriguez, but that fight got canceled after Rodriguez weighed in six pounds over the limit.
Here’s how you can watch Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, including live stream options, start time, and more
How to watch Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio
- U.S.: ESPN+
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.
Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio fight card
- Junto Nakatani (c) vs. Vincent Astrolabio for the WBC bantamweight title
- Riku Kano vs. Anthony Olascuaga for the WBO flyweight title
- Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Jonathan Rodriguez
- Issei Aramoto vs. Mongontsooj Nandinerdene
Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio start time
- Date: Saturday, July 20
- Time: 4 a.m. ET | 1 a.m. PT
- Location: Ryogoku Kokugikan — Tokyo
The Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio fight card airs at 4 a.m. ET. The main event fighters should make their way to the ring around 7 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
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