ESPN’s No. 1 bantamweight Junto Nakatani steps in the ring for the second time this year to defend his WBC world title against Vincent Astrolabio in Tokyo on Saturday (ESPN+, 5 a.m. ET).
Nakatani (27-0, 20 KOs), of Kanagawa, Japan, has won eight of his last 10 fights by stoppage, including a sixth-round TKO of Alexandro Santiago to win the title back in February. Nakatani is also a former flyweight and junior bantamweight champion.
Astrolabio (19-4, 14 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, is a former bantamweight title contender. He challenged Jason Moloney in May 2023 for the then vacant WBO 118-pound title, and lost a majority decision. Last August he defeated Navapon Khaikanha by 11th-round TKO in a WBO elimination bout to earn the shot at Nakatani.
Also on the card, ESPN’s No. 5 ranked junior bantamweight Kosei Tanaka, defends his WBO junior bantamweight title against Jonathan Rodriguez.
Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs), of Gifu, Japan, is a four-division champion, having won titles at strawweight, junior flyweight, flyweight and junior bantamweight. He’s making the first defense of the title he won in February with a unanimous decision against Christian Bacasegua Rangel.
Rodriguez (25-2-1, 17 KOs), of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, is fighting in his second title bout. He lost a unanimous decision in April 2021 challenging Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF junior bantamweight belt.
Also on Saturday, former undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron, will face Elhem Mekhaled for the vacant WBC interim junior welterweight belt in Birmingham, England (ESPN+, 12:45 p.m. ET).
Cameron (18-1, 8 KOs), of Northamptonshire, England, has been on the rise in the last four years. In October 2020 she won the WBC junior welterweight title against Adriana Dos Santos Araujo. After one defense, Cameron unified the IBF title against Mary McGee in October 2021. In November 2022 she defeated Jessica McCaskill by unanimous decision to become undisputed champion, and just six months later, Cameron outpointed Katie Taylor by majority decision to defend the belts, in her biggest fight to date. Cameron lost the belts in a rematch with Taylor last November.
Mekhaled (17-2, 3 KOs), of Paris, France, is a former WBC interim junior lightweight champion. She challenge Alycia Baumgardner for the undisputed junior lightweight championship in February 2023, but lost a unanimous decision. She’s won two consecutive fights since.
In Tampa Bay, Florida also on Saturday, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul returns to the ring to face former MMA fighter Mike Perry in a eight-round cruiserweight battle (DAZN PPV, 9 p.m. ET).
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio, was scheduled to face former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but Tyson had a medical issue during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and the fight was postponed to Dec. 15.
After starting his career 6-0 with victories over former MMA fighters and fellow YouTubers, Paul lost a majority decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023. He rebounded with victories over MMA fighter Nate Diaz, and little-known boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
Perry, from Orlando, Florida, whose only boxing match on record was a fourth-round KO loss against Kenneth McNeil in 2015, has been fighting in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), following a 15-fight career in the UFC.
Friday night in Indio, California, Alexis Rocha takes on Santiago Dominguez in a 10-round welterweight bout (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET). And in Caracas, Venezuela, Carlos Canizales faces Ivan Garcia Balderas in a 12-round junior flyweight fight.
Where can I watch the Nakatani-Astrolabio fight card on Saturday?
The Nakatani-Astrolabio fight card includes four fights and starts at 5 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
Where can I watch the Cameron-Mekhaled fight card Saturday?
The Cameron-Mekhaled fight card includes seven fights and starts at 12:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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How do I stream the fights?
The fights will be available to stream on mobile devices using the ESPN App.
Nakatani-Astrolabio full card on ESPN+:
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Title fight: Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, 12 rounds, for Nakatani’s WBC bantamweight title
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Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Jonathan Rodriguez, 10 rounds, junior featherweights
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Title fight: Kosei Tanaka vs. Jonathan Rodriguez, 12 rounds, for Tanaka’s WBO junior bantamweight title
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Title fight: Riku Kano vs. Anthony Olascuaga, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBO flyweight title
Cameron-Mekhaled full card on ESPN+:
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Nathan Heaney vs. Brad Pauls, 12 rounds, for Heaney’s British middleweight title
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Liam Davies vs. Shabaz Masoud, 10 rounds, junior featherweights
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Title fight: Chantelle Cameron vs. Elhem Mekhaled, 10 rounds, for the vacant WBC women’s interim junior welterweight title
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Solomon Dacres vs. Michael Webster, 10 rounds, heavyweights
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Owen Cooper vs. Ekow Essuman, 10 rounds, welterweights
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Ezra Taylor vs. Carlos Alberto Lamela, 10 rounds, light heavyweights
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Ashley Lane vs. Andrew Cain, 12 rounds, for Lane’s British bantamweight title
What other fight cards are happening this weekend and where can I watch them?
Saturday, July 20 in Tampa Bay, Florida (DAZN PPV)
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Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry, 8 rounds, cruiserweights
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Amanda Serrano vs. Stevie Morgan, 10 rounds, women’s junior welterweights
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Shadasia Green vs. Natasha Spence, 8 rounds, women’s super middleweights
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Tony Aguilar vs. Corey Marksman, 8 rounds, lightweights
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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Uriah Hall, 6 rounds, light heavyweights
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Ashton Sylve vs. Lucas Bahdi, 10 rounds, lightweights
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Angel Barrientes vs. Edwin Rodriguez, 6 rounds, junior featherweights
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Ariel Perez vs. Dane Guerrero, 4 rounds, light heavyweights
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Alexis Chaparro vs. Kevin Hill, 4 rounds, middleweights
Friday, July 19 in Indio, California (DAZN)
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Alexis Rocha vs. Santiago Dominguez, 10 rounds, welterweights
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Gregory Morales vs. Jayvon Garnett, 10 rounds, featherweights
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Fabian Guzman vs. Corey Cook, 4 rounds, middleweights
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Bryan Lua vs. Diuhl Olguin, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
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Jorge Chavez vs. Riku Kitani, 6 rounds, featherweights
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Juan Estrada Jr. vs. Dyllon Cervantes, 4 rounds, lightweights
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Grant Flores vs. Juan Meza Moreno, 4 rounds, junior middleweights
Friday, July 19 in Caracas, Venezuela
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Carlos Canizales vs. Ivan Garcia Balderas, 12 rounds, junior flyweights
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Jose Uzcategui vs. Fernando Brito, 10 rounds, super middleweights
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Jeremy Alvarez vs. Leonardo Sanchez, 10 rounds, junior middleweights
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Keiber Gonzalez vs. Humberto Diaz, 10 rounds, middleweights
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Jesus Cuadro vs. Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
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Wilmer Vasquez vs. Ubaldo Resendiz, 10 rounds, heavyweights
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Tony Nadales vs. Kevin Machine, 10 rounds, junior featherweights
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Bestalia Sanchez vs. Estefania Matute, 10 rounds, women’s junior bantamweights
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Yoselin Fernandez vs. Erika Bolivar, 10 rounds, women’s junior flyweights
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Luis Pacheco vs. Dervin Rodriguez, 8 rounds, junior featherweights
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Carlos Zabaleta vs. Jonathan Mena, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Leobardo Barrios vs. Jeison Prado, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Wilson Ruiz vs. Jheimer Farina, 4 rounds, featherweights
For all the other main fight cards in boxing, please visit the ESPN boxing schedule.