Nakatani looks to continue his reign as WBC bantamweight champion when he defends the title in Japan against Vincent Astrolabio.
Nakatani (27-0) is a three-pision champion and holds gold at flyweight and super flyweight. The 26-year-old scored the 2023 knockout of Andrew Moloney to win the WBO super flyweight title. His last fight was a TKO win in February against Alexandro Santiago to claim the WBC belt.
Astrolabio (19-4) is 2-1 in his last three fights. The Filipino failed to capture the WBO bantamweight title against Jason Moloney in May 2023 but bounced back a few months later against Navapon Khaikanha. With Nakatani and pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue on a potential collision course next year, Astrolabio is ready to play the role of spoilsport.
LOOK: Together Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, exclusively on ESPN+
“Vincent learned a lot from his first title shot that he’s going to take with him into this fight,” manager Sean Gibbons said. Boxing scene“He comes to Japan with heavy hands, thinking about the great opportunity to win a world title against a guy like this… being champion in this weight class puts everyone in the running for (Naoya) Inoue.”
The fight is one of multiple world title fights on the card. Riku Kano and Anthony Olascuaga are competing for the vacant WBO flyweight title. Kosei Tanaka was supposed to defend the WBO super flyweight title against Jonathan Rodriguez, but that fight was canceled after Rodriguez weighed in six pounds over the limit.
Here’s how you can watch Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, including live stream options, start time, and more
How to watch Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio
- US: ESPN+
Fight fans in the U.S. can watch Nakatani vs. Astrolabio on ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 with a monthly subscription and $109.99 with an annual subscription.
Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio fight card
- Together Nakatani (c) vs. Vincent Astrolabio for the WBC bantamweight title
- Riku Kano vs. Anthony Olascuaga for the WBO flyweight title
- Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Jonathan Rodríguez
- Issei Aramoto vs. Mongontsooj Nandinerdene
Start time for Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio
- Date: Saturday, July 20
- Time:4 am Eastern Time | 1 am Pacific Time
- Location:Ryogoku Kokugikan — Tokyo
The Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio card airs at 4 a.m. ET. The main event fighters should arrive to the ring around 7 a.m. ET, depending on how long the preliminary fights last.
