Boxing: what will be the matches of the “super evening” to be held in Tokyo with three world titles up for grabs

Naoya Inoueone of the best boxers Pound for pound today, he will not set foot this Saturday in the ring that will be set up at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. However, the figure of the undisputed super bantamweight monarch will fly over the property where it will take place. an evening event where three world titles will be up for grabs which once belonged to him and to which three of his compatriots, including his younger brother, now aspire. THE early risers You can enjoy the card starting at 6 on ESPN.

When just over a year ago Inoue vacated the four bantam division titles to try his luck at 122 pounds, the game was open for a good group of candidates to succeed him. One of those who was not on the radar of many and who took advantage of that situation was the Mexican Alexandro Santiagowho captured the World Boxing Council crown by defeating the legendary Filipino Nonito Donaire In Las Vegas. This Saturday he will expose it for the first time against a very complicated rival like him the Japanese Junto Nakatani.

The slope is so steep that the 28-year-old from Tijuana landed in Tokyo with the sign of being clearly not favorite for the race, despite being the champion. However, this does not bother him. “My rival is a great fighter, young, hungry and with excellent qualities. I love these types of challenges because I know that by beating a fighter like this, with an amazing resume, I will move to a higher level and fight better. “I’m ready to go home with the title”he warned Not muchwhich he exposes a record of 28 victories (14 before the limit), 3 defeats and 5 draws.

The condition of loser of Santiago is not a consequence of one’s own defects, but of the attributes of others: Nakatani, a skilled and powerful 26 year old southpawhas already shown in his professional career a wide range of virtues which have allowed him to obtain the flyweight and super flyweight titles of the World Boxing Organization and which now, ranked first in the WBC bantamweight rankings, places him on the doorstep of the his third crown.

With a height (1.72 meters) and reach (1.70 meters) very advantageous in the universe of small categories, the boxer born in Inabe and based in Sagamihara has not only won his 26 professional fights, but 19 of them did not win when reaching the agreed maximum distance. The power of his punches was a martyrdom for his rivals. Australian Andrew Moloney, victim of one of the most spectacular knockouts of 2023 in the fight they both took part in in May at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

His attributes, victories and titles made many project him Naoya Inoue’s heirthe best exponent of Japanese boxing today. “It’s an honor to be compared to such an iconic fighter like Naoya. “I feel inspired by him, a great Japanese boxer who greatly increased the presence of the Japanese in the world.”highlighted Nakatani, who some call The future monsteralluding to the nickname of the multiple champion. And there is no shortage of those who already fantasize about a clash between the two.

“I still have to get some good results to fully deserve this nickname. And I would be happy to give even a little hope of having a big match in the future. To reach that big stage, I hope to continue showing good performances so that people want to see my boxing more and more.”, explained the candidate for the crown of the Council. The next step in this direction will be the clash with Santiago, for which he has prepared in Los Angeles with his coach, Rudy Hernández, who has worked with him since he was a teenager.

Comparisons to Naoya Inoue are relatively new in Nakatani’s life. Instead, For years they have been part of the daily life of Takuma Inoue, the younger brother of Monsterwho this Saturday will put the title of the bantam division of the World Boxing Association up for grabs for the first time against the Filipino Jerwin Ancajas.

In the enormous shadow of his brother, Takuma, 28, has been building a good career for a decade which reached its peak in April 2023, when He got the belt which he will now get by beating the Venezuelan Liborio Solís in his second World Cup attempt (in the first, for the WBC bantamweight title, he had fallen to Frenchman Nordine Oubaali in 2019). Of course: he doesn’t have anywhere near the strength and explosiveness of Naoya. Of his 18 victories, only four were accelerated.

Although he appears as the favorite in the betting houses, Takuma is approaching this fight with caution, scheduled for November 15th and which had to be postponed due to a broken rib in the venue. “I’m in a challenging mood. “Jerwin is a very complete boxer who has good technique and power.”he warned.

Indeed, Inoue’s first defense will be extremely challenging, since in front of him he will have an experienced boxer, experienced in World Cup fights and who already knows the pleasure of triumphing in someone else’s backyard. The southpaw Ancajas, 32, was the super flyweight champion of the International Boxing Federation for more than five years, retained the crown nine times and ended up relinquishing it in February 2022 for Fernando Martinezthe only world champion that Argentine boxing has nowadays.

After falling again to Martínez in October 2022 and struggling to make weight for that bout, the Panabo-born fighter made the jump to 118 pounds. With a CV that counts 34 victories (23 before the limit), 3 defeats and 2 draws, He cute guy will try to restore some of its former glory to Philippine boxing, which today does not even have an ecumenical monarch. “It really motivates me that we don’t have a champion right now. My commitment to obtain the title will be to honor our country”highlighted the challenger.

The WBO super flyweight championship, which Chubut native Omar Narváez treasured for more than four years and which he lost at the hands of Naoya Inoue in December 2014, will be the third to be put into play on Saturday in Tokyo. The crown, vacant since Junto Nakatani renounced it in December to move up in rank, The local Kosei Tanaka and the Mexican Christian Bacasegue Rangel are competing.

Tanaka, 28 years old and holder of a record of 19 wins and 1 defeat, has already reigned in the light weight, light weight and flying divisions, and this bout will give him the opportunity to write his name in the boxing history books in his Village: If he wins, he will stand on the podium of Japanese boxers who have won titles in four weights.. So far only Kazuto Ioka, the only winner, and the omnipresent Inoue have succeeded in the feat (among women, Naoko Fujioka was champion in five categories).

For Bacasegue Rangel, this will be his first World Cup opportunity, his first fight outside Mexico and the first agreed to 12 rounds. The fighter born in Mexicali 26 years ago arrives at the most important duel of his career with a service record of 22 victories (9 before the limit), 4 defeats and 2 draws.