Japanese fighter Junto Nakatani will be competing in a new weight class, transitioning from the super flyweight division, where he has fought for roughly a year. Nakatani achieved a two-weight division status on May 20th by defeating Australian boxer Andrew Moloney for the vacant WBO super flyweight title. Now, he aims to become a three-division champion as he prepares to face WBC bantamweight champion Alexandro Santiago on February 24, 2024, in an event headlined by Takuma Inoue and Jerwin Ancajas.

Junto Nakatani (26-0, 19 KO’s) has been notably active this year, securing and defending the WBO super flyweight title within four months of claiming it. However, he is now shifting his focus to the bantamweight division, where he will take on Mexican WBC champion Alexandro Santiago (28-3-5, 14 KO’s), who recently won the WBC title after defeating Nonito Donaire (42-8, 28 KO’s) in July.

The Kokukigan Arena in Tokyo, Japan, will host this title bout, possibly determining a new champion if Junto Nakatani emerges victorious.

There is a noticeable size difference between the two fighters, with Nakatani’s height of approximately 5’7 providing him with a notable weight advantage in terms of rehydration compared to Santiago’s height of 5’2.

Additionally, Nakatani will enjoy the advantage of facing Santiago in his home country of Japan, further tipping the scales in his favor. Although Nakatani may encounter some challenges adjusting to the 118 lbs weight class, the difference between that and the 115 lbs division is merely 3 lbs, which should minimize or eliminate any discomfort that fighters might experience when moving up in weight.

Their fight on February 24 has been billed as the co-main event. Though Junto Nakatani is currently still regarded as the WBO super flyweight champion, Nakatani will be relinquishing his title before his title fight at bantamweight.