The all Japanese P4P showdown between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani sees a great history of boxers from Japan renewed.
This all Japanese P4P showdown is going to be a battle to remember in what should be a heck of a fight.
There is a healthy dislike of one another by both boxers as well. Great rivalry.
The real Samurai warriors are alive and well in Japan, maybe not famous like these two boxers are, both just as, if not more fearsome fighters than them.
Some notes on Japan’s boxing history and more on the fight this weekend.
All-Japanese P4P showdown Inoue vs Nakatani – A History Of Great Japanese Boxers Renewed
- First time: Two Japanese top-10 P4P fighters meet prime-for-prime.
- Pedigree: Japan has Gushiken, Harada, Tatsuyoshi, Hasegawa, Nishioka history.
- Inoue status: 4-division champ, undisputed in 2 divisions.
- Nakatani status: 3-division champ at fly, super fly, bantam.
- Comparison: Fans liken to “Samurai vs Samurai”.
- Manga tie-in: Fans compare to Ippo Makunouchi vs Ichiro Miyata.
- Harada legacy: Fighting Harada set lightweight precedent; Inoue/Nakatani now at 122.
- Shift: Boxing replaced MMA/K-1 at Dome for national event.
- Global rank: Inoue #2, Nakatani #6 ESPN P4P.
- Torch: Coach Hernandez: “May 2, there will be passing of the torch”.
Japan has churned out champions in boxing again and again over the years and always gets underestimated.
Despite being in the top 5 countries all time for most professional boxing champions from any country in the history of professional boxing.
We believe it to be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history.
