One of the sport’s very best fighters also remains among its most active.
Tri-division and reigning WBC bantamweight Junto Nakatani will fight for the third time in 2024. The Ring’s no. 9 pound-for-pound contender against Thailand’s Petch CP Freshmart on top of an October 14 title fight tripleheader from Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
The show was presented on the back of packed shows on two consecutive days by Mr. Honda’s Target Promotions. Seven title fights will grace the two-day series, both taking place at Ariake Arena. Both events will be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the US
Nakatani (28-0, 21 knockouts) is fresh off a first-round knockout of the Philippines’ Vincent Astrolabio. Their July 20 headliner at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo topped a lineup similar to this event.
The win over Astrolabio came less than five months after Nakatani captured his third division crown. It came in a sixth round knockout of Alexandro Santiago, who previously outpointed the legendary Nonito Donaire to win the WBC title last July 29 in Las Vegas.
Nakatani previously held titles at 112 and 115 pounds. He is currently The Ring’s no. 1-rated bantamweight.
CP Freshmart (76-1, 53 KOs) incredibly enters his first career title fight.
The 30-year-old southpaw has been a pro for over thirteen years. The closest he came to a major belt was a December 2018 loss to Takuma Inoue in their interim WBC bantamweight title fight. CP Freshmart—born Tasana Salapat—has won 28 in a row, but mostly against mediocre competition.
Also in action are recently crowned titleholders Kosei Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) and Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs). Both will make the first defense of their respective WBO belts.
Tanaka, No. 4 out of 115puts his WBO junior bantamweight belt on the line against South Africa’s Phumelele Cafu (10-0-3, 8 KOs). The action fighter from Aichi became a four-division titleholder in a 24-point victory over Christian Bacasegua. He would appear on the July 20 Nakatani-Astrolabio chart. However, challenger Jonathan Rodriguez arrived more than seven pounds over the 115-pound limit and was scratched from the show.
Cafu enters his first career title fight and ventures outside South Africa for the first time as a pro.
Olascuaga will face former WBO 108-pound titlist Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs). Their mandatory title fight was completed earlier this month and was just waiting for a fight date.
The Los Angeles native claimed his WBO flyweight title in a terrific third-round knockout of Riku Kano. The Ring’s no. 8-rated flyweight hasn’t fought in ten months, but showed no signs of ring rust in his second title bid. He previously had a ninth-round knockout of Kenshiro Teraji in a late replacement role for the Ring, WBC and WBA 108-pound crown.
Fittingly, Olascuaga was a substitute that night for Gonzalez, who had fallen ill. It cost the Boricua a lucrative unification match, which never came back. Illness, injuries and weight problems dimmed his title reign to just three defenses over three years. Gonzalez vacated the title in June to campaign at flyweight, where he was appointed as the mandatory challenger.
The night’s co-feature is the lone non-title fight of the night. Popular gate attraction and bantamweight prospect Tenshin Nasukawa (4-0, 2 KOs) will face the Philippines’ Gerwin Asilo (9-0, 4 KOs) in a ten-round regional title fight.
Nasukawa is fresh off his first true knockout win. He knocked out Jonathan Rodriguez (not the greasy one who blew weight against Tanaka) in the third round on the July 20 Nakatani-Astrolabio undercard. He previously also stopped Luis Robles in the third, albeit due to an ankle injury.
The former kickboxing star has gone the distance in each of his first two bouts, but is already being fast-tracked to title contention.
Asilo is also enjoying a quick turnaround. The rising bantamweight from Bohol won via second-round knockout on July 27 in Tagbilaran City, which has hosted his last four fights. This trip is his first as a pro outside the Philippines.
Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) attempts his first defense against compatriot Seiya Tsutsumi (11-0-2, 8 KOs) headlining the October 13 card.
