Junto Nakatani didn’t have an easy time in his move up to 122 lbs, but he pulled out the win in a tremendous fight with Sebastian Hernandez, and set up a likely 2026 clash with Naoya Inoue.
Nakatani started sharp and crisp in the bout, but after two rounds, the underdog Mexican warrior dug in, turned up the heat, and made a tremendous fight of it, rallying his way back into things and beating one of Nakatani’s eyes shut.
Still, Nakatani can’t really be said to have disappointed here, at least not fairly. He took on a contender in his move up to a new division, got a challenge, and proved his own toughness to go along with what we already knew was an impressive skill set. He had to hang in there and take real pressure from an opponent he couldn’t back down, and he showed he can do that.
As for Hernandez (20-1, 18 KO), he may have lost for the first time, but his stock does nothing but go up after a fight like this. Not only did he make a solid enough case for an upset win against a pound-for-pound top 10 fighter, but he was outstanding to watch, a proper fighter who put all he had into the toughest night of his career, proving he’s a serious player at 122 lbs.
Nakatani vs Hernandez scorecards
Judges officially scored the fight 115-113, 115-113, and 118-110, all for Nakatani. The latter card instantly received harsh criticism for being too wide.
Bad Left Hook unofficially scored the fight 115-113 for Nakatani.
What’s next for Nakatani?
All eyes are on a potential mega-fight showdown with countryman Inoue, in a potential — but far from guaranteed — torch-passing from one Japanese pound-for-pound great to the next.
Inoue will fight just minutes from the publishing of this post, defending his undisputed super bantamweight championship against Alan Picasso.
“I moved up to aim for (Inoue), and if I’m given an opportunity to fight on that stage, I’ll do my best,” Nakatani said after today’s win.
