SAGAMIHARA, Japan -- One is known as “The Monster,” the other “Big Bang.” The bout between champion boxers Naoya Inoue ...

Junto Nakatani tightened his grip on the bantamweight division after Ryosuke Nishida retired with an eye injury before the start of Round 7 of their world title unification bout on Sunday.

When Junto Nakatani stepped into the ring to face Ryosuke Nishida with each man’s bantamweight world title hanging in the balance, he also had to contend with an unseen force whose presence was ...

Undefeated WBC bantamweight champion Junto “Big Bang” Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) demonstrated his dominance in the 118-pound weight class by defeating IBF titlist Ryosuke Nishida (10-1, 2 KOs) on ...

His most recent victory came this past weekend on June 8, when he unified the WBC and IBF bantamweight titles by forcing Ryosuke Nishida to retire after six rounds due to severe swelling around ...

Nishida was praised for his valour in the ring despite the loss. A dedicated southpaw technician, the 28-year-old IBF champion earned his chance by defeating Emmanuel Rodriguez in May 2024.

The bantamweight division is full of top-tier talent. Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida looks to prove that when they compete for the IBF and WBC titles on June 8. The fight in Japan airs on ESPN+.