Junto Nakatani Beats Hernandez, Then Loses to Inoue

Nakatani wins his super bantamweight debut

Junto Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez by unanimous decision in his super bantamweight debut on December 27, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The judges scored the 12-round bout 118–110, 115–113 and 115–113 for Nakatani.

The Inoue fight takes place in 2026

Hernandez pressed forward and made the fight competitive, particularly in the later rounds. Nakatani’s win kept him unbeaten and moved him into the division’s title picture. The result set up a meeting with Naoya Inoue, which took place in Tokyo on May 2, 2026.

Inoue defeated Nakatani by unanimous decision. The scorecards were 116–112, 116–112 and 115–113. Their fight went the distance, so Nakatani’s earlier win over Hernandez did not lead to an immediate championship victory.

The Hernandez bout was a difficult first step at 122 pounds for Nakatani. His later loss to Inoue became the defining result of his move to super bantamweight.

The December result was a non-title 12-round contest. Nakatani moved from bantamweight to super bantamweight for the bout and faced Hernandez, who entered unbeaten. The competitive scorecards reflected a closer fight than the lone 118–110 card suggests.

Related reporting and sources: boxing · Sporting News: The Ring V full · The Ring: results from Nakatani vs. · sportingnews.com · ringmagazine.com · Boxing · Combat Sports