When is Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida?

Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida is on Sunday, June 8. The stream begins at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time (9:30 a.m. BST).

Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida is streaming on ESPN+

Where is Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida?

Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida is taking place at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.

Who is Junto Nakatani?

Junto Nakatani has his eyes on a potential superfight in Japan with undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue. And therefore boxing has its eyes on Nakatani, a very talented 27 year old who has won titles at 112lbs, 115lbs and 118lbs – and one who is looking to add another belt in this unification bout with fellow bantamweight titleholder Ryosuke Nishida.

Nakatani, 30-0 (23 KOs), scored wins earlier in his career over future titleholders Masamichi Yabuki and Seigo Yuri Akui. In 2020, he knocked out Giemel Magramo to win a vacant flyweight title, which he then went on to defend twice. Nakatani soon moved up to junior bantamweight and, in 2023, dominated Andrew Moloney and scored a highlight-reel 12th-round knockout to capture another vacant belt. 

Again, his reign was brief. After one defense, Nakatani jumped up to bantamweight in February 2024 and seized the WBC title from Alexandro Santiago via sixth-round TKO. Nakatani then dispatched Vincent Astrolabio in one round in July, Tasana “Petch CP Freshmart” Salapat in six rounds in October, and unbeaten contender David Cuellar in three rounds in February.

Who is Ryosuke Nishida?

Ryosuke Nishida, 10-0 (2 KOs), is a 28 year old who also hails from Japan. Nishida’s fourth pro fight was a decision win in 2021 over Daigo Higa, a former flyweight titleholder who remains a contender at 118lbs. 

Nishida captured the IBF bantamweight title in May 2024 with a unanimous decision over Emmanuel Rodriguez, a good two-time titleholder whose only previous losses had been to Inoue – a stunning second-round win in 2019 – and Reymart Gaballo, a controversial split decision in 2020. 

Nishida has made one successful defense, knocking out the 16-0 Anuchai Donsua in seven rounds in December.

What other fights are on the undercard of Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida?

The co-feature will spotlight Tenshin Nasukawa in his own rise towards a title shot at 118lbs.

Nasukawa, 26, is a former kickboxing star from Japan who was initially known among boxing fans for his exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2018. Nasukawa turned pro in earnest in 2023 and is 6-0 (2 KOs). In February, he outpointed former bantamweight titleholder Jason Moloney. Nasukawa is ranked first by the WBC, second by the WBA and WBO, and fourth by the IBF.

Nasukawa’s opponent is Victor Santillan, 14-1 (5 KOs) and a 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Santillan lost a split decision in June 2023 to former title challenger Sho Ishida. He returned in June 2024 with a wide decision win over the 9-3 Alfree Ramirez. This will be Santillan’s first fight in 11 months.

Also on the stream is the second pro fight in the career of bantamweight Tomoya Tsuboi, 1-0 (1 KO) and who won an amateur world championship in 2021. Tsuboi will face Van Thao Tran, 18-1 (10 KOs).

The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.