Junto Nakatani Stops Petch in Sixth Round
Junto Nakatani’s October 2024 title defense became the headline result of the month: the Japanese southpaw stopped Petch Sor Chitpattana in the sixth round in Tokyo to retain his WBC bantamweight championship. The WBC’s fight report and Top Rank’s event record both list the sixth-round stoppage.
From bantamweight champion to undisputed challenger
Nakatani later added the IBF bantamweight belt by stopping Ryosuke Nishida in six rounds on June 8, 2025, unifying the WBC and IBF titles. Top Rank’s event coverage records the unification win. He then moved up to super bantamweight for a major test against Naoya Inoue on May 2, 2026. Inoue won by unanimous decision and retained his undisputed titles, according to the WBC’s report and BBC Sport.
The October preview anticipated a busy month for boxing, but its broad claims about seven title fights and possible unifications were not tied to a verified bout list. Nakatani’s result is the clear takeaway: he defended his belt decisively, unified two bantamweight championships the following year, and ultimately challenged Inoue in a high-profile move up in weight.
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Tags: Boxing
