Inoue and Nakatani in Japanese double header

By Declan Taylor

In October, Takuma Inoue is set to headline the first show of a Japanese double-header.

On Sunday, October 13, the 27-year-old WBA bantamweight champion will defend his title against Seiya Tsutsumi at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Junto Nakatani, a three-division champion, will defend his WBC bantamweight title against Thailand’s Petch Sor Chitpattana, who has a 76-1 record. This event will take place at the same arena, 24 hours later.

Junto Nakatani in action

Inoue, the younger brother of Japanese star Naoya, secured his title with a clear-cut decision victory against Liborio Solis in April of the previous year. He has successfully defended his title twice since then.

He halted Jerwin Ancajas in their ninth round of their February face-off and then significantly outscored Sho Ishida in May. Now, he aims to protect his title for the third time this year and solidify an exceptional 2024 as champion.

Kenshiro Teraji, with a record of 22-1 (14), will make his 112lb debut in the main supporting event. This follows his impressive streak of 15 consecutive world title fights in the light-flyweight category, out of which he emerged victorious in 14.

However, his opponent Rosales is currently performing well, having secured five consecutive victories since his 2022 loss to Angel Ayala in Mexico. This match presents an opportunity for the 29-year-old Nicaraguan to claim the WBC flyweight title for the second time.

On Monday 14, in the main event, Nakatani aims to bolster his growing status as one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters against the extremely seasoned Chitpattana, also known as Petch CP Freshmart.

Nakatani has finished nine of his previous 11 fights early, which includes a one-round thrashing of Vincent Astrolabio in July. This fight was his first defense of the WBC bantamweight title that he claimed in February.