ESPN No. 1 bantamweight Junto Nakatani will step into the ring for the second time this year to defend his WBC world title against Vincent Astrolabio in Tokyo on Saturday (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET).
Nakatani (27-0, 20 KOs), of Kanagawa, Japan, has won eight of his last 10 fights by knockout, including a sixth technical knockout of Alexandro Santiago to regain the title in February. Nakatani is also a former flyweight and junior bantamweight champion.
Astrolabio (19-4, 14 KOs) of General Santos City, Philippines, is a former bantamweight title contender. In May 2023, he challenged Jason Moloney for the then-vacant WBO 118-pound title and lost by majority decision. Last August, he defeated Navapon Khaikanha by 11th-round TKO in a WBO qualifier, earning a shot at Nakatani.
Also on Saturday, former undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron will face Elhem Mekhaled for the vacant WBC interim junior welterweight title in Birmingham, England (ESPN+, 12:45 p.m. ET).
Cameron (18-1, 8 KOs), from Northamptonshire, England, has been on the rise for the past four years. She won the WBC junior welterweight title in October 2020 by defeating Adriana Dos Santos Araujo. After one defense, Cameron unified the IBF title by defeating Mary McGee in October 2021. In November 2022, she defeated Jessica McCaskill by unanimous decision to become the undisputed champion, and just six months later, Cameron defeated Katie Taylor by majority decision to defend her belts in her biggest fight to date. Cameron lost the belts in a rematch with Taylor last November.
Mekhaled (17-2, 3 KOs) from Paris, France is a former WBC interim junior lightweight champion. In February 2023, she challenged Alycia Baumgardner for the undisputed junior lightweight championship but lost by unanimous decision. She has since won two more fights.
On Saturday in Tampa Bay, Florida, former YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul returns to the ring to face former MMA fighter Mike Perry in an eight-round cruiserweight bout (DAZN PPV, 9:00 p.m. ET).
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio, was scheduled to face former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but Tyson suffered health problems during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and the fight was postponed until December 15.
After starting his career 6-0, in which he scored victories over former MMA fighters and fellow YouTubers, Paul lost a majority decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023. He returned with victories over MMA fighter Nate Diaz and little-known boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
Perry, a native of Orlando, Florida, whose only recorded boxing fight was a fourth-round knockout loss to Kenneth McNeil in 2015, fights for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) after 15 fights in the UFC.
On Friday night in Indio, Calif., Alexis Rocha will face Santiago Dominguez in a 10-round welterweight bout (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET). And in Caracas, Venezuela, Carlos Canizales will face Ivan Garcia Balderas in a 12-round junior flyweight bout.
Where can I watch the Nakatani-Astrolabio fight on Saturday?
The Nakatani-Astrolabio fight card features three fights and is scheduled to start at 5 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
Where can I watch the Cameron-Mekhaled fight on Saturday?
The Cameron-Mekhaled fight card features seven fights and is scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
World Boxing News can reveal that Manny Pacquiao Jr. he is training to be able to compete in professional ranks in the future.
According to coach Marvin Somodo Manny Jr. he will follow in the footsteps of his legendary father Manny Pacquiao and become a prize fighter. Junior currently splits his time between home and Wild Card Gym under the tutelage of Somodo and Freddie Roach.
A former boxer, Roach rose to fame as Pacquiao Sr.’s trainer, earning him numerous world championships and a Hall of Fame career that may not be over yet. Despite being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in a ceremony scheduled for the summer, Pacquiao still hopes to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight crown in July.
WBN understands that Manny Jr. could appear on the undercard if the fight goes according to plan.
Discussing Junior’s progress, Somodo spoke exclusively to World Boxing News.
“Manny Jr. I just train every day, just like my other professional players,” Somodo explained to WBN. We hope to get him a fight soon, but the most significant thing is to keep improving him in the gym every day. The plan for him is to turn pro in the future and when I see he is ready. The plan is for him to become a professional boxer, but you never know.
When asked about Junior’s development, Somodo replied: “He’s doing really well. His work ethic is really good. You see him every day at the gym and you never complain. We spar with world-class players and he does well. His future depends on his performance once he turns pro. I believe he will cope, but time will tell,” he concluded.
Pacquiao Jr. he achieved mixed results in amateur competitions and suffered four defeats in a row. But his game may be better suited to professional fighters if he’s anything like his dad, an eight-weight world titleholder.
23-year-old Pacquiao Jr. time is running out and he must make a move within the next six months. This decision will coincide perfectly with the return of Pacquiao Sr. and will allow the pair to make history by fighting for the same stakes this summer in Las Vegas.
World Boxing News wishes all its readers, boxing fans and supporters of this sport a Merry Christmas.
The year 2024 was great again, with many huge fights and massive events taking place in the sport. Oleksandr Usyk ruled the year with two wins over Tyson Fury and won the WBN Fighter of the Year award for the second time in three years.
Saudi Arabia continued to be a force in the sport as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime increased competition for DAZN’s original streamers.
Next year promises to be another essential year. Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 and David Benavidez .vs. David Morrell has already been confirmed to play in the spring. Mexican star Canelo Alvarez will review his Cinco De Mayo plans next month and add more to the schedule.
Boxing fans have a lot to look forward to, and WBN aims to bring you all the most essential news as we celebrate our fifteenth year in 2025. WBN will take a miniature break until December 27, when we will return to continue the work we started in 2010.
We wish everyone a special time during the holiday season and see you when the weekend begins.
Take care of yourself – Phil Jay, WBN editor-in-chief.
Before we come back, read some of our latest headlines.
UFC heavyweight boxing fans want wins in FOUR seconds
Melancholy ending for Mike Tyson as Jake Paul fight fails to beat Canelo
Gervonta Davis is wreaking havoc with her latest outburst
Kickboxer, 51-0, Floyd Mayweather by KO close to the WBC title
The UFC heavyweight flop, having lost two of his three fights in the company, made a spectacular return to the win column.
Cuban Robelis Despaigne, who caused disappointment among boxing fans by signing a contract with Dana White, may return to the market. Despaigne moved on to Karate Combat on December 19 and continued his astonishing KO record.
Before entering White’s octagon earlier this year, Despaigne scored his fourth consecutive MMA knockout victory in 37 seconds. “Substantial Boy” sent shockwaves through the striking side of combat sports, and it was expected that Despaigne would sign a contract with a boxing promoter to see how far his strength would take him.
The 36-year-old has little time to prove his worth in any other code after the UFC grabbed a ponderous hitter and then fired him. Despaigne won his UFC debut against Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds and went to the ground.
At six-foot-seven with an 86-inch reach, Despaigne had the longest arms in UFC history and was tipped to be a UFC title contender. There was hope then that Despaigne could follow Ngannou into boxing and make an impact.
However, his UFC career fell apart when he faced opponents with above-average preparation work. Two defeats to Austen Lane in October and Waldo Cortes-Acosta in May made White wash his hands of Despaigne.
WBN then speculated that a promoter from the United States could get Despaigne and accelerate his boxing career. Weeks passed and it seemed that Despaigne was damaged goods. Last week, he signed a contract with Dominik Jędrzejczyk at the Karate Combat 51 gala in Miami, Florida, still looking for an opportunity to make mega money.
Getting back to winning ways was imperative and Despaigne did not disappoint. He knocked out Jedrzejczyk within seconds, giving his last six KO victories in a total of 59 seconds. Despaigne landed one kick and one punch to achieve an unreal triumph in just four seconds. The knockout was the fastest in the history of Karate Combat.
Despaigne could push the boundaries of the sport if a boxing company is willing to take the risk, and perhaps he can do what Francis Ngannou did. Ngannou earned $30 million in two fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Oddly enough, the PFL may now be interested in fielding Despaigne against Ngannou next year. PFL’s gain would then be boxing’s loss.
Looking back at Kimbo Slice and his boxing performances, there was concern among boxing promoters. However, Despaigne could fight six or seven times a year to raise his profile and become a phenomenon. That is, if he can do what he has done in other combat sports, similar to boxers who also train.
It’s up to lesser-known promoters to make the decision, as no one at the top of the sport will want to get burned like the UFC.
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