Junto Nakatani knocked out David Cuellar in the third round at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Monday, February 24, 2025, to keep his WBC bantamweight title. He put Cuellar down twice on the way to the stoppage, ESPN reported.
The fight is over, and it is kept here as the record, with the picks we published before it. Nakatani has fought three times since, and the last of them was the biggest fight of his career.
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It was Nakatani’s third defense of the WBC title, and it took his record to 30-0 with 23 knockouts. Asked what was next, he said “let’s unify,” pointing at Ryosuke Nishida, who held the IBF title at 118 pounds.
Our picks, as the record
| Pick | Result |
|---|---|
| Junto Nakatani (-900) | Won |
| Under 8.5 rounds (-125) | Won, it ended in the 3rd |
| Fight goes the distance: No (-300) | Won |
| Nakatani by TKO, KO or DQ (-250) | Won |
All four won. The stoppage came early enough to settle the rounds bet and the method bet in the same moment, which is how those two markets are tied together: a knockout inside eight rounds wins both.
What Nakatani did next
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, June 8, 2025 | Ryosuke Nishida | Won, Nishida retired before the 7th; added the IBF title |
| Saturday, December 27, 2025 | Sebastian Hernandez | Won by unanimous decision, 115-113, 115-113, 118-110 |
| Saturday, May 2, 2026 | Naoya Inoue | Lost by unanimous decision, 116-112, 115-113, 116-112 |
He unified with Nishida at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, where Nishida’s right eye closed and the ringside doctor stopped it after six rounds. The Hernandez fight in Riyadh was his first at junior featherweight, and ESPN called it the toughest fight of his career.
That set up Inoue at the Tokyo Dome in front of 55,000. Inoue won on all three cards to stay undisputed at 122 pounds, and Nakatani left 32-1 with 24 knockouts, his first loss as a professional.
Where to go next
Our Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev page covers Inoue’s fight before he met Nakatani, and our boxing articles cover the big fights as they are set.
Our boxing betting guide explains rounds, method and distance markets. Compare prices first with our sportsbook reviews, and for paid picks compare the handicappers on PicksToday.