By REYNALD MAGALLON
Vincent Astrolabio takes his shot at boxing glory when he challenges undefeated defending champion Junto Nakatani for the World Boxing Council bantamweight crown in what could be another thrilling chapter to the rising rivalry between Filipino and Japanese boxers on Saturday, July 20.
Pegged as the heavy underdog in the bout scheduled for 12 rounds at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, the 27-year-old pride of General Santos City aims to pull off a shocker and hand the three-division Japanese champion, who was undefeated through 27 fights with 20 KOs, his first taste of defeat.
The two proud fighters officially made the 118-pound weight limit on Friday, July 19, with Astrolabio tipping the scales at 117.5 lbs and Nakatani at 117.3 lbs.
Astrolabio, sporting a 19-4 record with 14 knockouts, should be hungrier than ever on his second world title shot after being denied on his first try when he lost to the then-World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Jason Moloney last year.
The Filipino pug recovered with a 11th round knockout against Navaipon Khaikanha of Thailand in Bangkok to earn the title shot.
Astrolabio was supposed to fight Alexandro Santiago for the crown but he lost to Nakatani who is now widely regarded as Japan’s second best boxer behind undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue.
But Astrolabio is nowhere fazed and is coming in ready for the fight.
“I’m ready. I’ve come here in Japan to win the belt,” said Astrolabio during the pre-fight press conference.
“I will fight for those who support me, for my family, and above all, for my country,” added the Filipino who is looking to get a crack at one of the four belts in bantamweight division currently held by four Japanese champions in Takuma Inoue, Ryosuke Nishida and Yoshiki Takei along with Nakatani.
The Japanese southpaw, however, certainly has the firepower to match against Filipino, having previously reigned at the flyweight and super-flyweight divisions and be regarded as one of the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.
Nakatani, for one, has the Filipinos as one of his favorite preys during his spotless run, beating five of his previous Filipino opponents including former world champion Milan Melindo along with Giemel Magramo, Philip Luis Cuerdo, Dexter Alimento and Joel Taduran all by way of knockout.
