Junto Nakatani vs Vincent Astrolabio Preview July 20th, 2024
Unbeaten WBC Bantamweight champion and former WBO Flyweight and Super Flyweight Champion Junto Nakatani of Japan defends his belt for the first time when he takes on Vincent Astrolabio of the Philippines this Saturday, July 20th. The 12-rounder from Tokyo can be seen live in America on ESPN+ with the card getting underway at about 5 am ET and fans in the UK and Ireland can catch it on Sky Sports Action at 10 am. Nakatani won the bantamweight title by stopping Alexandro Santiago in the sixth round in February to win a world title in a third weight division. Astrolabio last saw action in August when he halted Navapon Khaikanha in the 11th round.
Nakatani vs Astrolabio Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Vincent Astrolabio +1000
- Junto Nakatani -2000
My Pick
The 26-year-old Nakatani is a southpaw who already boasts a perfect record of 27-0 with 20 Ko’s and measures just over 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 67-inch reach. He’s boxed 136 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 and won the vacant Japanese Flyweight title in 2019 when he stopped Naoki Mochizuki in the ninth round. The champion has displayed plenty of power up until now with a current knockout ratio of 74.1 per cent and has stopped eight of his last 10 opponents.
He halted former world champion Milan Melindo of the Philippines in the sixth round in October, 2019 and then won the the vacant WBO Flyweight Title in November, 2020 with an eighth-round stoppage over Giemel Magramo. He stopped Angel Acosta in the fourth round in his first defence and then halted Ryota Yamauchi in eight rounds before moving up in weight against Francisco Rodriguez in November, 2022 and taking a 10-round unanimous decision.
Nakatani then stopped Andrew Moloney in May, 2023 for the vacant WBO Super Flyweight Title with what most experts considered to be the knockout of the year. As a pro, Nakatani is already considered to be one of the most successful Japanese boxers in history with world title belts in three weight divisions and combines speed, ring intelligence and power.
As for Astrolabio, he’s 27 years old and has fought 141 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015. He carries a record of 19-4 with 14 Ko’s and also has good power in his fists as 73.7 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including seven of his past eight. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 65.5-inch wingspan which means he gives up 2.5 inches in height and 1.5-inches in reach to Nakatani. Astrolabio was a pretty good amateur and fought at the 2014 Philippine National Games as a flyweight.
He made a name for himself as a pro in February, 2022 when he handed former World Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba a 10-round unanimous decision loss to win the vacant WBC International Bantamweight Title. He dropped Rigondeaux in the eighth round and went on to win 95-94 on all three judge’s scorecards. Since turning pro he’s also captured the vacant Philippines Mindanao Professional Boxing Federation (MinProBA) Bantamweight Title, vacant WBO Oriental Bantamweight Title and the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Bantamweight Crown.
Astrolabio has been beaten four times as a pro as he dropped an eight-round unanimous decision to John Mark Apolinario in 2017; was stopped in the fourth round by Yuki Strong Kobayashi in 2018; lost a 10-round majority decision to ZongLi He in 2018 in a shot at the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Youth Super Flyweight Title and dropped a majority decision to Jason Moloney in 2023 in a shot at the vacant WBO Bantamweight Title.
Prediction…
Astrolabio will need to work his way inside to be effective and he’s a sturdy boxer with enough power to cause some damage but lacks Nakatani’s overall boxing ability. Nakatani is also fighting at home again but this could be a close contest for the first few rounds. I’m expecting Nakatani to outbox Astrolabio and there’s a possibility he also stops him but the challenger is pretty durable and this bout may go the distance.
Nakatani’s size, power and skills should do the trick.
Play: Nakatani -2000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Junto Nakatani betting • Vincent Astrolabio betting