By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
Unbeaten WBC bantamweight champ Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs), 117.75, successfully kept his belt in his mandatory defense as he scored a beautiful stoppage of #1 Petch Sor Chitpattana (76-2, 53 KOs), 117.5, at 2:59 of the sixth round on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. In the fatal session Junto decked Petch twice to prompt the referee Laurence Cole’s halt. Having scored very impressive stoppages over Alexandro Santiago (TKO6) this February and WBC#1 Vincent Astrolabio (KO1; formerly a Guillermo Rigondeaux conqueror) in July, the 5’8” lanky southpaw looked a bit nervous and tense in the beginning as he was highly expected to score his third KO victory in world title goes this year.
Petch (AKA Tasana Salapat), whose 76-1 mark was very remarkable with only a blemish inflicted by Takuma Inoue in a WBC bantam vacant title bout six years ago, was such a puzzling southpaw as Junto himself. Nakatani was an aggressor in the first four rounds, while the awkward stylist Chitpattana occasionally retaliated with big but inaccurate combos in the close quarter.
After the fourth the WBC scoring system indicated the champ was leading on points: 50-45 twice and 49-46. It was in round five that Junto, thanks to his handler Rudy Hernandez’s wise suggestion, shifted his target to the midsection of the elusive Thai challenger, which gradually paid off with Petch obviously slowing down. His shifty footwork became so flat footed and stationary that Nakatani could judge the distance and timing more accurately than in earlier rounds.
The sixth saw the taller champ forced him to the ropes and connected with solid punches in combination, which badly sent him to the canvas. The audience thought it was over, but the game Petch barely pulled himself up to resume fighting to win the crowd’s great praise. Nakatani, however, more furiously attacked him with a vicious left straight to the fading Thailander. Down he went. The ref Cole waved it off then and there. All three spectacular stoppages in world title bouts this year. One of these KO victories may be a candidate for a Knockout of the Year, hopefully.
The winner and still champion said in the interview in the squared circle, “I want next any other world bantam champion in a unification bout” before IBF ruler Ryosuke Nishida, WBO ruler Yoshiki Takei and newly crowned WBA titlist Seiya Tsutsumi in attendance. Nakatani had been rumored to face former WBA champ Takuma Inoue next, but Monster’s brother forfeited his belt yesterday to be out of picture.
People here talk about a future possibility of Nakatani’s confrontation with Naoya Inoue, but it will take place after Nakatani scores some more defenses in the 118-pund category. We’ll wait for the Dream Fight patiently.
The number of our world champions out of Japan after the two-day multiple world title events amounts to nine, since Kenshiro Teraji seized the WBC 112-pound title, Shokichi Iwata acquired the WBO 108-pound belt but Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO 115-pound diadem. In December we may see the title defenses of Naoya Inoue and Yoshiki Takei. We can enjoy watching more boxing bouts in this coming boxingwise hot winter.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
WBC supervisor: Michael George (US).
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