Junto Nakatani will make his ring return on a Dec. 27 card in Riyadh where he’ll be taking on Sebastian Hernandez
in what is expected to be a prelude to an all-Japanese showdown between him and Naoya Inoue. Here, Nakatani spends some time talking to Mike Coppinger on behalf of Ring Magazine about his upcoming fight and the bigger one on the horizon. Here’s some excerpts with the full video interview in the link at the top.Nakatani on taking on Sebastian Hernandez in his first fight at 122 lbs
“I think it’s a fight that I can grow from and I think he is a worthy opponent
that can help me kind of do that. So that’s why I took it.”
On how long he expects to stay at 122
“Making weight has gotten easier. I think I’m at a place where I can produce good performances. That said, there are still parts where I feel like I can build my body a little more.”
On how he think he’ll be able to get to #1 P4p
“First I have to rpove I’m the best super bantamweight and to do that I have to beat the guy that everybody says is the best and that’s Naoya Inoue…I realize that it’s a fight that everybody wants to see, and that’s a source of motivation for me. I’ve been building one fight at a time and the Hernandez fight that’s coming up is the next step within that flow of the Inoue fight.”
On being in Inoue’s shadow
“I’ve watched a lot of Inoue’s fights and they provided me with a lot of stimulation. Now that we’re in the same weight class I’ve always viewed him as a destination, that’s the motivation.”
On what his relationship with Inoue is like
“Naoya Inoue, we’ve talked a little bit and I’ve sparred with his brother Takuma a couple of times…(Coach) Rudy told me not to spar with (Naoya). We were conscious [we could eventually fight him].”
