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Junto Nakatani vs Tasana Salapat – massive fight preview and predictions

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Salapat fell short in his one previous step up to world level (Photo Credit: Tapology)

Nakatani will defend his crown on Monday (Poster source: top position)
Nakatani will defend his crown on Monday (Poster source: top position)

This Monday, a triple world title fight will take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, and in the main event Junto Nakatani will defend his WBC bantamweight title for the second time against Tasana Salapat from Thailand.

Top Rank is promoting the Nakatani vs Salapat fight and Sky Sports television in the UK.

Nakatani (28-0, 21 KO) won the vacant WBO flyweight title in November 2020, defeating Giemel Magramo in eight rounds, and traveled outside Japan for the first time to make his first defense, defeating Angel Acosta in the fourth round months later in Tucson.

After winning the super flyweight division, he then captured the vacant WBO super flyweight crown with a dominant last-round knockout of Andrew Moloney, defeating the Australian more than three times in a brutal fight.

After that crushing first defense, he rose to the top again, this time winning the WBC bantamweight title with a sixth-round victory over Alexandro Santiago. Nakatani was last sidelined in July due to needs in the round to knock out Vincent Astrolabio.

Now he will face Salapat (76-1, 53 KO), a man with a record in which it seems that not all is well. The 30-year-old from Roi-Et challenged for world titles in December 2018, but was badly defeated on the cards by Takuma Inoue in a fight for the interim WBC super bantamweight title.

Salapat failed to make the step to world level (Photo: Tapology)
Salapat failed to make the step to world level (Photo: Tapology)

He has since won 28 straight fights, but against a terrible list of opponents, most of whom were losing records or fighting on their debut. In his last fight, he defended his WBC Asian belt for the fourth time, scoring in ten rounds over GuiMing Li 6-5-1 at Rangsit in July.

Many believe Nakatani is the best 118-pound fighter in the world (Photo: Mikey Williams, top position)
Many believe Nakatani is the best 118-pound fighter in the world (Photo: Mikey Williams, top position)
Tanaka defends his title against Cafu

Kosei Tanaka won the vacant WBO super flyweight title in his last fight and makes his first defense against Phumelele Cafu.

Tanaka (20-1, 11 KO) won the belt in February on clear points against Christian Rangel and previously reigned as the WBO minimum-to-super flyweight champion.

After three draws early in his career, Cafu (10-0-3, 8 KO) is on a six-fight winning streak, with the South African winning the IBF International belt in August and then knocking out Enathi Stelle in just 26 seconds in the last contest in December 2023 at getting a free South African bauble.

Tanaka is a true rising star. Photo: badlefthook.com
Tanaka is a true rising star. Photo: badlefthook.com

The WBO flyweight title is also at stake here, and champion Anthony Olascuaga will defend himself against Jonathan Gonzalez.

Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KO) won the vacant title in July, knocking out Riku Kano in three rounds after being stopped in nine by Kenshiro Teraji for the WBC lithe heavyweight championship last April.

Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KO) comes from lithe flyweight, where he defended his WBO title three times, most recently a points win over Rene Santiago in his native Puerto Rico in March.

Undercard remaining

Elsewhere, Tenshin Nasukawa (4-0, 2 KO) could win the vacant WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight title after scoring points with Gerwin Asilo (9-0, 4 KO) and super lightweight hope Ayato Kobayashi (1-0, 0 KO ) ) can defeat Excell James Junior (2-1, 0 KO) in four rounds.

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UK Boxing

Darren Till threatens to kick Tommy Fury in the head after the match and risk disqualification

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Former UFC welterweight fighter Darren Till has shockingly stated that he will utilize illegal tactics in his upcoming boxing match with Tommy Fury. Tommy, the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, is set to return to the ring following his recent victory over YouTuber KSI.

The fight was officially announced on social media by Fury and in a press release, which confirmed that Till, who triumphed over Mohammad Mutie in his boxing debut, will face “TNT” at next year’s Co-Op Live event in Manchester. An excited Fury commented: “It’s great to finally say I’m back! I’ve been out of the ring too long.”

He added: “I have itchy ankles so I’m excited to announce my return and headline a huge event in my hometown and in front of my fans. Till has had a good career in the UFC, but he steps into the boxing ring now against a real professional and he will quickly realize that he has reached his limit and this is not the game for him. “I plan to deal with Till decisively and then compete in even bigger fights in 2025.”

The highly anticipated fight is scheduled for January 18, and tensions already rose during the first press conference on Tuesday evening.

During a fiery press conference, Till boldly threatened Fury, stating: “At the end of the day, I can’t beat you, I’ll just kick you in the face,” and continued with a cheeky declaration of his fighting skills: “How about this? I’m a real fighter, not a boxer. I don’t go into a room like that, watch boxing and say “f**k.” I’m going in, no one here is a threat to me. Not a single person in this room, security, you and your dad, pose a threat to me. I’m an MMA fighter, so if I want to kick you or elbow you in the face, I’ll do it and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

Fury quickly responded, dismissing the threat: “Well, it’s not going to happen if it’s Darren. Because we are not in a cage now, we are in a boxing ring and you will find that boxing is very different from MMA.”

However, Till stood by his earlier statement: “Well, it’s obvious, how are you going to stop me? If I lose the fight, I’ll kick you right in the face. You won’t know what will happen.” he hit you.”

Tensions escalated further when Tommy’s father, John Fury, caused a stir by throwing water at Till, leading to a fight requiring security intervention. Despite heated exchanges and a physical altercation, the fighters were eventually separated and serene was restored.

At the age of 31, Darren Till stepped into the MMA spotlight, quickly rising to prominence as a top fighter in the sport. The Liverpool fighter made headlines in 2018 when he challenged for the welterweight title but was defeated by Tyron Woodley.

After this match, Till moved to the middleweight division. His last win in the Octagon came in 2019 against Kelvin Gastelum, after which he recorded a three-fight losing streak.

His eight-year stint with the UFC ended last year when he was released from the organization. Despite his transition to boxing, Till foresees a return to his MMA roots in the future.

He confirmed his intentions, stating emphatically: “Yes. “100 percent,” when asked about a potential return to the UFC. “Of course I want to return to MMA. In a few years I will come back and fight again. I want to make a lot of money, but it wouldn’t work in the UFC, it’s all about the money. I want to have some good fucking fights there again. That’s what I want to do.

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UK Boxing

Jake Paul could fight Anthony Joshua next if the YouTuber’s stance on the British boxer is clear

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Jake Paul has decided to fight the sport’s established elites after defeating Mike Tyson, his promotional partner has revealed.

Paul won last week’s big-money fight in Texas by unanimous decision, but the YouTuber-turned-boxer was criticized for taking on the 58-year-old.

However, after the fight, it is believed that Paul will be looking to take his boxing career to the next level and will want to “test the limits of what is possible” in the ring.

I’m talking to Heavenly sportspromoter Nakisa Bidarian said: “He has a lot of options. He will take a few days off and next week we will meet with him, his advisors and coaches to determine next steps.

“It was an opportunity to capture the world’s attention and remind them why it is such a stunning sport. Jake was instrumental in this during the Mike Tyson match and we strategically placed Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano right in front of them.

“As for Jake’s future – honestly, whatever he wants.”

Speculation is rife as to who Paul might face next, with Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua among his potential opponents.

Dubois even called out the 27-year-old after the Tyson fight, posting on social media: “Hi Jake, good business this weekend, but how would you feel about fighting for the legitimate world heavyweight championship, Daniel Dubois calling you out Let’s get into it.

Bidarian revealed that this is something his client would like to get involved with.

He continued: “Jake gave me the word that I wanted to do this fight [against Dubois]. Not now. But I want to fight this fight.

“I want to do this by wanting to become the world cruiserweight champion. The second is to test the boundaries of expectations. Testing the limits of what is possible.

“That event with Mike Tyson, which tested the limits of what the world could see, and his fight with Anthony Joshua or Daniel Dubois, are in a way the same thing.

“Jake weighed 227 pounds, but he actually weighs 215 pounds. But he will do it under the right conditions and within the right framework.”

According to reports, Paul earned £32 million for the fight with Tyson, but Bidarian would like to emphasize that the American is not involved in the sport for the money.

When asked about Paul’s motives, Bidarian stated: “It’s not about the money. He has made a lot of money since he was 18. It’s really about disruption.

“It’s really about doing things that make you say, ‘Wow, that really happened.’ That excites us.”

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UK Boxing

Amir Khan is yet to support Mike Tyson’s pledge as Jake Paul “accepts” a modern fight offer

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Amir Khan has promised to “slap” Jake Paul if he beats Mike Tyson, although it’s unclear whether he intends to do so. Last weekend, Paul secured a unanimous points victory over Tyson in front of 72,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Texas, with tens of millions more watching on Netflix.

The controversial fight did not live up to expectations, with “Iron Mike” physically weakening after just two rounds due to the overall lack of drama. Nevertheless, it captured the world’s attention as Tyson, 58, faced a man 31 years his junior in his first professional fight in almost two decades.

In a pre-competition speech, British boxing icon Khan said she would like to “give it to him”. [Paul] a little slap and I’ll get him done’ should he triumph over ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’. “Mike is a friend of mine, I FaceTime him and we talk, but when you have a 58-year-old man fighting a teenage fighter in his prime, you really feel bad for him,” Khan, 37, said.

“But you can’t feel too sorry for Mike Tyson because he took that opportunity. It’s arduous, but I wouldn’t want to jump into the ring.

“Ultimately, it was Mike’s decision to go into the ring and fight. If he gets beat, you want to protect your friend and step in and say I’m going to beat him, so if he beats Mike Tyson, yeah, I’d definitely like to slap him a little bit and put an end to it.”

It is unclear whether Paul, 27, would be ready to fight Khan, although the Bolton-born former pro may have to wait in line. The likes of Carl Froch and Tony Bellew have challenged ‘The Problem Child’, as has IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who defeated Anthony Joshua in a thrilling clash at Wembley Stadium in September.

On X, Paul shared a message from Dubois that read: “Hi Jake. Good business on the weekend, but how would you feel about fighting for the legitimate heavyweight championship of the world? Daniel Dubois is calling. Let’s do it. “

In response, Paul sent back a photo of the scoop along with the message: “Get in line.” He then added: “The guy has been boxing for 12 years, had over 100 fights between amateurs and professionals, and fought on my card… hahaha. But fuck it… I’ll ask Nakisa to talk to Frank Warren and you’ll be put in line for the throne, unlike Arthur, you have at least a few thousand fans.”

Time will tell if Paul will actually step into the ring with 27-year-old Dubois, especially considering the YouTuber’s history of choosing opponents who are not professional boxers. That said, last year he insisted he had dreams of becoming world champion and a fight with Dubois would give him the chance to achieve that.

“I’m going to be a world champion, and these fights are just a stepping stone to achieve that goal,” Paul said in 2023. “I’m slowly making progress. I have sparred with world champions and performed phenomenally against them, so who knows what might happen in two or three years when I reach the peak of my sport? I’m starting to really understand this sport and all of its aspects.

“It’s really scary what could happen. “Not only do I think I’m going to be a world champion, but I think I’m going to be a dominant world champion and I’m going to knock someone out for the belt.”

So far, 11 of Paul’s 12 professional fights have been against other content creators, MMA stars or, in Tyson’s case, retired boxers. The only established professional boxer the Ohio native has faced is Tommy Fury, who defeated him by split decision in February 2023.

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