Junto Nakatani W12 Sebastián Hernández... Three-division champion Junto Nakatani made his super bantamweight debut by securing a narrow, hard fought unanimous decision victory over Mexico's Sebastián Hernández on Saturday December 27th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nakatani, who relinquished a bantamweight championship to pursue Naoya Inoue and super bantamweight, did not have smooth sailing, and Hernandez definitely had supporters claiming he deserved to win. Nakataini finished the bout with a swollen right eye and won the fight with two scorecards of 115-113, while a third card of 118-110 sparked surprise and criticism due to its wide margin. Hernández applied pressure throughout the twelve rounds, throwing high volume and forcing Nakatani to fight on the inside for long stretches of the bout. Nakatani started strong, utilizing his reach, footwork, and uppercut to establish an early lead. However, from the midpoint of the fight onward, Hernández managed to close the distance and force constant exchanges, turning the bout into a physically gruelling battle.

 

Following the announcement of the decision, Nakatani praised his opponent’s effort. “I am very grateful for this opportunity. It was a great fight. He is a very tough fighter, and this has been a great learning experience for me,” the Japanese fighter declared. With this victory, Nakatani improves his record to 32-0 with 24 KOs and keeps the door open for a mega showdown with Naoya Inoue.