Saturday, February 24, 2024

Boxing Challenge

 A three-fight early morning card from Tokyo heads the boxing challenge with each match holding a championship in the balance.

Junto Nakatani vacated his WBO junior bantamweight title and will be moving up to bantamweight to try for the WBC bantamweight championship held by Alejandro Santiago in the main event.

Santiago upset Nonito Donaire for the vacant title last year and will make his first defense against Nakatani, who won a decision over Argi Cortes in his last fight.

Another bantamweight title is at stake with WBA champion Takuma Inoue defending against former IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas.

Inoue, the brother of Naoya Inoue, won the vacant title last April over veteran Liborio Solis while Ancajas defended his 115-pound title nine times before losing the title and rematch to Fernando Martinez.

The WBO junior bantamweight title vacated by Junto Nakatani will be filled as Kosei Tanaka attempts to win a title in his fourth weight class against Christian Bacasequa.

Tanaka was knocked out in the eighth round by Kazuto Ioka in an attempt to win this title in 2020 and has won four fights since that defeat.

Bacasequa is a heavy underdog with a pedestrian record and fewer quality opponents on his resume.

Saturday night from Matchroom/DAZN with super middleweight Edgar Berlanga battling Padraig McCrory in Orlando, Florida.

Berlanga knocked Jason Quigley down four times last June in winning a unanimous decision, while the unbeaten McCrory has defeated some European-level fighters but is unknown at the world level.

I've questioned Berlanga in the past and McCrory is a question mark entering this bout himself, so I wouldn't be surprised by anything that happens in this fight.

Boxing Challenge

WBC Bantamweight Title. 12 Rds
Alejandro Santiago vs Junto Nakatani 
Ramon Malpica: Nakatani KO 8
TRS: Nakatani KO 10
Vince Samano: Nakatani Unanimous Decision

WBA Bantamweight Title. 12 Rds
Takuma Inoue vs Jerwin Ancajas
R.L: Inoue Unanimous Decision
TRS & V.S: Ancajas Unanimous Decision

Vacant WBO Junior Bantamweight Title. 12 Rds
Kosei Tanaka vs Christian Bacasegua
R.L and TRS: Tanaka Unanimous Decision
V.S: Tanaka KO 6

Super Middleweights. 12 Rds
Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory
R.L: Berlanga KO 7
TRS: Berlanga Unanimous Decision
V.S: McCrory Unanimous Decision  

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