Junto Nakatani became a three-division world boxing champion earlier today (Sat., Feb. 24, 2024) from inside Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Japan, as the undefeated fighter stopped Alexandro Santiago via sixth-round TKO to win the undisputed WBC bantamweight title.
This was expected to be a showcase for the young 26-year-old southpaw. Not only was Nakatani the betting favorite entering his fight with Santiago, but their bantamweight clash was featured as the co-main event of the evening. Everyone showed up to see the undefeated star in action and he delivered across the board.
There wasn’t much for Santiago to offer in this fight. Nakatani was bigger, faster, and had more pop on his punches. Santiago was champion for a reason and hung in tough for as long as he did, but it was only a matter of time before Nakatani’s crisp punches landed cleaner. That’s exactly what happened in the sixth round when a collection of knockdowns finally stopped Santiago in his tracks.
Check it out in the above video player with more footage below:
Nakatani, who pushes his undefeated professional boxing record to 27-0 with Saturday’s win, now has 20 career knockout victories to his name. And considering Nakatani won the WBO flyweight title back in 2020 and the WBO junior-bantamweight title in 2023, this highlight-reel finish over Santiago leaves the Japanese fighter as a three-division world champion.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
