Though Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and David Benavidez’s upcoming Cinco de Mayo cruiserweight unification headliner is starting to dominate boxing’s headlines in Western media, there is another super-fight taking place on the same date, May 2, from the Tokyo Dome in Japan — the all-Japanese banger between Junto Nakatani and Naoya Inoue.
And, if you look at Japanese media in recent weeks, there are reports from that region that give Nakatani a chance for one reason — his fight-finishing power, combined with Inoue’s up-and-down victories; that is, climbing off the canvas to scoop wins.
Nikkan Sports, for example, report on inside information from Nakatani’s camp, through Hideyuki Ohashi, the President of the Ohashi Gym and head of the Inoue camp, who said: “Judging by the muscle definition in [Nakatani’s] legs, it’s clear he has been undergoing an extremely rigorous training regimen to build his conditioning.”
Ohashi’s observations were seemingly from a public Nakatani workout in which he drilled three rounds of shadow boxing, mitt work, and heavy bag work.
“He looks to be in excellent form.”
Hideyuki Ohashi, head of Naoya Inoue’s camp, on Junto Nakatani
“He has a large physique and stands quite tall,” Ohashi said.
“His punches—whether the right hand, the left straight, or the left uppercut—are all formidable.”
Ohashi said that, regardless, he is still getting a grasp of Nakatani’s tactical approach to the fight, saying with what Nikkan Sports said was a grin, he was 95% there.
“He is a completely different fighter now compared to [before]; his presence and aura are on a whole other level.”
On his own fighter, he added: “Inoue is also in top form, so both fighters will be stepping into the Tokyo Dome ring in peak physical condition. I’m truly looking forward to the match,” before lauding it the “fight of the century.”
