Speaker 1: Now we segue to what will happen this weekend in Riod,
Saudi Arabia for the riad season night of the Samurai
Boxing Card. Again Naoya the monster in a way, arguably
the best pound for pound fighter in the sport. I
know the Terrence Crawford fans will argue, I know the
Alexander Usik fans will argue, but the in away fans
are arguing the same way. Four belt champion at one
hundred and twenty two pounds. He's in the main event
fighting Alan David Picasso. Now in the co feature fight,
his countryman, Junto Nakatani, former bandamweight world champion, is fighting
Sebastian Hernandez in what is essentially a tune up fight
at the higher division to potentially fight in a way
down the road if not next. So Dan's gonna talk
now with Nakatani, and through the magic of radio and
editing and the effort, you're gonna hear Dan ask the questions,
and obviously, in the context of the interview, Nakatani speaks
very little English at all, the interpreter would re ask
the question in Spanish, all I'm sorry in Japanese, and
then Nakatani would answer in Japanese, and then the interpreter
would answer Dan's question in English. What we've done, what
I've done. By editing this, you'll faintly hear Nakatani answering.
I can verify, and when we put this up on
the YouTube page, you'll see it na Katani's answering the questions.
But it does nobody any good that doesn't speak Japanese
to have that. You'll hear the interpreter Moto giving you
the answers in English to Dan's question, to give you
Nakatani's answers. So now enjoy this for a good seven
minutes or so, Dan interviewing Junto Nakatani. He did this
back a few days ago before Nakatani left Japan to
fly to Saudi Arabia. Let's get that conversation in now
on the recap pot.
Speaker 2: But is my great pleasure to be joined from Japan,
Junto Nakatani, the former three division world champion now moving
up in waight, Junto, welcome to the show. You have
a big fight coming up in Saudi Arabia, will be
taken on Sebastian Hernandez will be your first fight in
the junior featherweight division. So welcome and thank you. We're
gonna get some help from the translitter Moto. So Moto,
thanks for doing your thing today. Thank you are very
good motoves. You could ask Himbout. Just as I mentioned,
he has won world titles in three divisions flyweight, junior,
band and weight. He had unified the titles at bandam weight.
Now he's vacated those bantamweight titles to move up to
the junior featherweight division to fight this fight with Hernandez
on the night of the Samurai pay per view card
in Riad, Saudi Arabia. And I'm wondering what went into
his decision to move up and wait? Was it problems
with the weight? Was it the fact that he just
wanted to go for another title in another weight class?
Was it the attraction of Noya in a way being
in that weight class?
Speaker 3: Okay, as my weight control was getting difficult, so that
was the one reason I move up to the superbentum.
But at the same time, of course, in a way
is in that rank, so that's another reason I move
up to super Benten.
Speaker 2: So of course that is part of the story of
what goes on with this card. In a Way is
in the main event, Juno is in the co feature.
I wonder how does he stay focused on taking care
of business against Hernandez knowing that if he wins and
if in a Way is the winner, that the plans
are to do this huge mega fight in the spring
at the Tokyo Dome where him having the opportunity to
become the undisputed champion at one hundred and twenty two pounds.
Speaker 3: Okay, So through my career, I always value the fight
in front of me. Every fight is very important to me,
and if I do my and win the fight, then
I will see the next scene after. So right now
it's always concentrating the fight in front.
Speaker 2: And so if he emerges with the victory against Hernandez,
is the plan is he just gonna kind of come
back out the ringside and relax and see what happens
in the inn a a fight and then maybe face
off with them afterwards if he wins.
Speaker 3: Also by the time, I'd love to uh see his fight.
Speaker 2: I wonder when the idea of facing in a Way
came to him a house. At what point did it
become a serious thing for him? Because they were separated
by some weight at different times, and so uh you know,
when to become a big deal for him? And and how
closely has he followed in a way his career.
Speaker 3: Okay, so what night became the champion Dana? Uh I
thought the fighting against you now where it becomes uh serious,
real thing to me? And after that? Uh, I've been
watching his fights, uh actually actual fights, and that's always
think about him as an opponent. So you come up.
Speaker 2: Do they know each other, they have any kind of relationship?
Speaker 3: No, not really.
Speaker 2: Okay. A lot of people say that he's already in
a way the greatest Japanese boxer of all time, and uh,
I wonder you know, does he think that and how
does he see himself eventually matching up with him?
Speaker 3: Yes, I know he's a great fighter, but uh myself,
I wanted to be called as a great fighter as well.
So then winning against him, uh, that's a mob that
makes me the greatest spiders. So that's that's kind of
motivation I have right now.
Speaker 2: Okay, Well, before all of that, he's got to fight
Sabash and Hernandez. That's the fight that's coming up. So
I wonder if you could ask him you know, what
does he know about him? He is undefeated, so there's
that he hasn't really faced a lot of opponents. Are
really only just one opponent I think that people might know,
and that's Asavinissian. So when he thinks about him, what
is what is this take on his opponent?
Speaker 3: Okay, so he has a strong punch, a hot punch,
and he's very tough. So that's the scores. I always
considered that and why I'm training.
Speaker 2: So this fight is going to take place in Riad,
Saudi Arabia. He has fought in America twice. All the
rest of the fights have been in Japan. I'm wondering
what is his perspective, his thoughts about going all the
way to Saudi Arabia to have his first fight in
the Middle East.
Speaker 3: Well, actually, I like to go to fight, and in
this time Saudi Arabia. I'm so excited to be there,
and that's I'm expecting to have a new crowd. I
want to make sure to satisfy him. I want to
I want to fight so other people who satisfy my fight.
Speaker 2: All right, we I'll just wrap up with one more
question that we've been talking a lot about the possibility
of this fight against anyway, you know, as long as
they're the winners come December twenty seventh. It is spoken
by boxing fans, by people in Japan other reporters that
if they get together in this big fight in the spring,
it's going to be the biggest all Japanese fight in
the history of boxing. There's been a lot of great
champions that have come from Japan, and some of them
been fought each other. What is he when he when
he hears that, it's like a big thing, Like what
is his thought about? Like, Oh, my goodness, I might
be in maybe the biggest fight in the history of
my country for so much at stake, with the undisputed
title and then undefeated records.
Speaker 1: Coy.
Speaker 3: Yes, great honor to be part of it, and you
know so I'm really exciting and uh enjoying you might
like you and and of course this opportunity. I have
to make sure it's going to be on my career
and step back over the next le That's what I
feel about it.
Speaker 2: All right, very good, I thank you very much for
your time. Jento, best of luck to you on December
twenty seventh against Hernandez, and if all goes well, the
world will be watching you and in a way if
he wins also, so thank you very much and best
of luck. Thank you very much, appreciate you.
Speaker 1: Night of the Samurai upcoming Saturday from Riod again in
a way is the main event. Expected to win and
probably win by knockout. It would be a fourth victory
for him this year if he gets it coming up
and again Junto Nakatani maybe the next fight. And thanks
again to everybody involved with Junto Nakatani to helped that
interview happen. Moto the translator, we say publicly again thank
you to him for making it happen and we brought
it to you here on the audio pod. Not the
easiest thing in the world to get questions the Japanese
asked and then answered and then have it be coherent
on an audio podcast. We got it done. We got
it done here on this edition of the show.