Junto Nakatani insists there is no message to send and no pressure to feel as he prepares for the next phase of his career. The unbeaten former three-division champion enters Saturday’s fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, fully aware that he stands one win away from a long-anticipated clash with fellow Japanese star Naoya Inoue.
Nakatani will make his debut at 122 pounds against Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez. The 27-year-old southpaw moved up after unifying the WBC and IBF bantamweight titles, deliberately making the jump in weight to pursue a future showdown with Inoue, who headlines the same card while defending his undisputed junior featherweight championship against Alan David Picasso.
“This fight is very important,” Nakatani said during Tuesday’s grand arrivals ceremony in Riyadh. He stressed that victory is his priority and added that he feels no added pressure, explaining that his focus remains on being fully prepared and performing at his best every time he steps into the ring.
Nakatani enters the bout in strong form and in the Fighter of the Year discussion following knockout wins over David Cuellar and Ryosuke Nishida. The latter bout marked just the fourth unification fight between Japanese champions and ended with Nakatani scoring a sixth-round technical knockout. It was also known at the time to be his final appearance at bantamweight, as his frame had outgrown the division.
Saturday’s fight comes after his longest layoff in nearly three years, a six-month gap that allowed his team, led by Rudy Hernandez, to carefully prepare for the move to junior featherweight. Nakatani says he feels comfortable at the new weight and is open to fighting aggressively if the opportunity presents itself, believing the real confirmation will come once the opening bell sounds.
Image Credit: WBC