February twenty-fourth at Ariake Arena. WBC bantamweight title on the line, third defense of Nakatani. Cuéllar is the 6th ranked WBC contender. Barring a draw or NC, somebody's 0's got to go! Both men have built up their records almost entirely at home in Japan or Mexico respectively (Nakatani has fought in the USA twice) - and each with little to no amateur experience. Nakatani went a mere 14-2 with an impressive ten wins by knockouts before turning over, while Cuéllar followed in the footsteps of promoter Canelo Álvarez making his pro debut at 15 years of age (but without having first campaigned in the simonpures for a couple of years, as did Canelo). No readily available record exists of whatever few bouts he had, if any. Cuéllar has defeated a handful of recognizable names in the last few years - two division champion Luis "El Nica" Concepción and onetime contender Gilberto Pedroza, both of Panama; world title challenger José Luis "Pancora" Velásquez Cárdenas of Chile; and former WBO strawweight champ Moises Fuentes and unbeaten prospect Karim de Jesús "Bullterrier/Traviesito" Arce Lugo, both of Mexico. All have asterisks, however. Karim Arce - nephew of Jorge, the ultra popular Lollipop Cowboy of Los Mochis - had a very padded rise and had already drawn twice with low-level domestic opponents, and has been knocked out again since Cuéllar by a 3-0 novice. The rest were all well past their best days. Nakatani has already captured world titles in three divisions in under 30 bouts. His blend of skill, aggressiveness, power and speed has been turning heads since he was performing in ten-rounders at Korakuen Hall pre-pandemic - and the buzz has only continued to grow. He is considered by many to be the current second best Japanese fighter behind Naoya Inoue.
Pretty stacked card. Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Daigo Higa II and Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Jason Moloney in support.
