Alexandro Santiago vs Junto Nakatani (24-02-2024) Full Fight
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Transcript
00:00 - [Announcer] For those earlier in the dressing room,
00:02 obey my commands.
00:04 Trunks are a little high on both of you,
00:06 so I'm not gonna call them right on the line.
00:08 Touch 'em up, it's work day, come on.
00:10 - [Announcer] Junto Nakatani moving up in weight
00:19 to challenge himself against Alejandro Santiago.
00:24 Round one underway of this championship fight.
00:28 Karen Batia on the call, joined by Chris Algieri.
00:31 Alejandro Santiago in the gray and black trunks.
00:36 Junto Nakatani in the silver trunks with the white gloves.
00:42 And this is shaping up for a fantastic matchup, Chris.
00:45 - Yeah, absolutely, this is one
00:46 I'm really looking forward to.
00:48 Santiago really impressed me in his last win
00:51 when he beat the legend, Nonito Donaire.
00:54 Put on a great 12 round performance.
00:57 - This is Nakatani's first fight of this weight class,
00:59 so not only just moving up,
01:00 not only just fighting in a world title fight,
01:02 not only that, but he's fighting a very, very tough champion
01:05 in Alexandro Santiago tonight.
01:08 - And Junto Nakatani listed at 5'8",
01:11 so he's tall for this weight class.
01:13 He actually started his career, Chris, at 104.25 pounds,
01:18 which is actually very incredible.
01:20 - Yeah, I mean, it's incredible even now,
01:22 here at 5'8" at 118 pounds.
01:25 You see that long body, long torso, very wide stance,
01:29 which is always interesting to me
01:31 that Nakatani can get the power that he gets
01:33 even though he fights out of that wide stance
01:34 the way he is.
01:35 - And there we saw the left hand come in.
01:39 Nakatani uses the right hand to blind his opponents,
01:42 and it's that long left hand, sometimes to the head,
01:45 sometimes to the body.
01:46 We saw him throw it there again,
01:48 and it's a very dangerous weapon.
01:50 - Yeah, he's very explosive too,
01:51 so the blinding lead hand and then that big power
01:56 in the follow-up in the left hand.
01:56 I'm curious to see how he carries that power here
01:59 into this new weight class.
02:00 Santiago's not known as a puncher,
02:03 but he is a physically bigger man.
02:05 He's been in this weight class for a longer amount of time.
02:07 Little clash of heads there.
02:09 - And just in terms of sheer grit and determination,
02:14 Alejandro Santiago taking out Nonito Dinero.
02:17 It wasn't easy.
02:18 He really had to dig deep.
02:20 And we mentioned he was also going through
02:21 some personal turmoil.
02:23 His house burned down.
02:24 His wife and kid were in danger there.
02:26 They got out okay, but that wasn't easy to deal with
02:29 in terms of the preparation for him in that fight.
02:31 - No, he was cut over both eyes in that fight.
02:33 Took some big, big power from Nonito Dinero,
02:35 who's got legendary power early on,
02:37 but it was his work rate and his engine
02:39 that won him the day and that night.
02:41 Let's see if he can bring that same energy and effort
02:44 here tonight against Nakatani.
02:46 And his heart and his will, tough as they come.
02:50 And that's why this is such an intriguing matchup here.
02:53 - Yes, Santiago's gonna be working all night long
02:58 to get inside that long reach of Nakatani.
03:01 You see that, he's having trouble closing the distance.
03:04 Nakatani doing a good job using that lead hand
03:06 to keep Santiago on the outside.
03:09 - And we see Nakatani there at distance.
03:11 So many times we see tall, long fighters
03:14 not taking advantage of those assets.
03:16 Nakatani is doing so.
03:18 - Oh no, he's a master at range.
03:20 He likes to stay on the outside,
03:22 keep you busy with that lead hand.
03:23 And then as you step over that critical distance line,
03:26 he likes to fire that big left hand with her.
03:28 (beeping)
03:30 - Yes!
03:34 (upbeat music)
03:43 - Five minutes, fellas, five minutes.
03:44 - Appreciate it, man.
03:45 - Oh, okay, you getting that bet in before the boom, huh?
03:47 - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, LA all the way.
03:49 - What?
03:49 Oh, come on, man, you know it's Boston, baby.
03:51 - KG, I don't understand why you say that, but it's LA.
03:53 - J, are you serious?
03:54 - You know what, it's LA.
03:55 - Why you standing up?
03:56 - 'Cause it's LA, LA.
03:58 You know what, you ain't scaring me.
04:00 Let me tell you something.
04:01 - It's Boston, Boston, Boston.
04:03 - It's LA, LA.
04:05 (explosion)
04:07 (upbeat music)
04:09 (upbeat music)
04:12 - The Stanley Cup fight on ABC.
04:15 - Rudy Hernandez in his career and his life for so long.
04:19 (bell rings)
04:24 - Rudy Hernandez said Nakatani's always been
04:27 an extremely disciplined fighter,
04:30 always wanted to be in the gym,
04:32 and that's why the duo has been together
04:35 for as long as it has, and that's shown up
04:38 in the accomplishments that Junto Nakatani
04:40 has had at only 26 years old.
04:41 - Yeah, truly a special talent.
04:45 You know, when you put that all together,
04:46 you put that physicality that he has
04:48 mixed with the talent, the skill, the power,
04:51 and then the discipline on top of it,
04:52 you sprinkle some discipline on top, man,
04:54 that makes for something special.
04:55 - Both fighters coming from humble beginnings.
05:04 Both fighters hungry with determination and will,
05:09 and that's why they've reached this position
05:11 and this moment.
05:12 And just, you can see the size difference, Chris.
05:16 I mean, it's very apparent, and that's gonna make
05:19 for a truly interesting dynamic in this championship fight.
05:22 - Yeah, absolutely, you see those long legs,
05:25 that wide stance.
05:27 You know, I always say Nakatani reminds me
05:28 of a praying mantis in the way that he stands.
05:30 He's got those hands up high,
05:32 he's got those legs spread wide,
05:34 he's able to counter with explosiveness and good reactions.
05:37 Here we're seeing that all on display.
05:40 - Nakatani listed at five foot eight,
05:43 Santiago at five foot three.
05:45 Nakatani with the 69 and one quarter inch reach,
05:50 Santiago with the 65 and a half.
05:52 So it is gonna be a stark difference in this fight.
05:55 But, Chris, as you mentioned,
05:56 this is Santiago's weight class, right?
05:58 He's comfortable at this weight,
06:00 and this is the first time Nakatani
06:01 is moving up those three pounds.
06:03 - Yeah, you saw that attempted counter uppercut
06:06 from the outside from Nakatani.
06:07 I had mentioned last round that he draws a line in the sand,
06:11 and then as you cross that critical distance line,
06:12 he'll let that left hand go like that,
06:15 whether it be an overhand left like that,
06:16 or the uppercut, which you saw a few moments ago.
06:19 - And not only is it an electric, lightning fast left hand,
06:22 but he uses the right to blind you.
06:24 So it makes it all that more tough to defend against it.
06:27 - Yeah, absolutely, I mean, you see him
06:28 landing that jab over the top consistently, boom,
06:31 and he puts that left hand right behind him.
06:33 Lightning quick.
06:34 Oh, and don't forget about those uppercuts.
06:36 I almost forgot about those.
06:38 I don't know how, 'cause it's a Maloney fight,
06:40 he couldn't miss with either hand the uppercuts,
06:42 but that's a very dangerous weapon for him.
06:44 Being so tall, everyone has to kind of crouch to get in,
06:47 which opens them up for uppercuts up the middle.
06:49 - If the blinding jab and the straight left hand
06:51 weren't enough, you gotta deal with
06:54 the lightning quick uppercuts from Nakatani.
06:57 And that's gonna be Alejandro Santiago's
07:00 challenge here tonight.
07:02 20 seconds to go in round two.
07:04 - Good short left hand, right down the middle,
07:06 splits the guard of Santiago.
07:09 - And so far, Chris, it's been Santiago
07:13 trying to get inside, close distance.
07:15 Big right hand there lands for Santiago,
07:17 and another one, just as we were talking about
07:19 what he was trying to do.
07:20 He had success getting on the inside
07:22 and throwing the right hand.
07:24 - Yeah, those are some of the best punches
07:26 that were landed tonight,
07:28 and they were landed by the champion, Santiago.
07:30 Great shots there, good timing.
07:32 He was punching with Nakatani
07:33 and caught him flush on the chin.
07:36 - And it took him almost all of two rounds
07:38 to finally get inside, but when he did so,
07:40 he made Nakatani pay.
07:42 - Yeah, those were big shots, very, very clean.
07:44 And that's really what Santiago's gonna have to do tonight.
07:46 He's gonna have to take a risk to get inside,
07:49 close that distance, and land shots like that.
07:52 He's gonna have to punch with Nakatani
07:55 at the risk of getting hit with big shots himself
07:58 to land his own power.
08:00 (crowd murmuring)
08:02 - Santiago is on a four-fight winning streak,
08:05 and we mentioned his last fight,
08:06 he took out the living legend, Indonido Donaire.
08:11 So he's fought at the highest level
08:13 before he is the champion in this fight.
08:17 - Round three.
08:21 - Interesting little interaction there
08:25 between Nakatani and Rudy Hernandez.
08:28 They were smiling at the end of the break
08:31 to round number, between rounds two and three.
08:34 Curious what they were joking about,
08:37 'cause Nakatani did just get hit with some big shots.
08:40 - And you see Nakatani's style there,
08:58 doing what he should do as the taller, longer fighter.
09:01 Putting that right hand, that lead hand out there,
09:03 almost like a range finder,
09:04 sometimes throwing it, sometimes not,
09:06 but just keeping it out there to bother Santiago.
09:09 - Well, he uses it as an obstruction,
09:10 both offensively and defensively.
09:13 You mentioned that he blinds you with that shot,
09:14 so he's obstructing your vision,
09:16 but also at the same time,
09:17 when he takes a half step back
09:18 and he keeps that hand out there,
09:19 it keeps you that much further away.
09:21 So he's either obstructing your vision
09:22 or your movement with that lead hand,
09:24 and he wants to unveil that left power shot.
09:28 - You see him setting it up,
09:29 that's why his feet are so wide,
09:31 he puts a lot of weight on that back foot
09:33 to unleash that left hand.
09:34 - And sometimes, watching tape on Nakatani,
09:36 you see him throw the jab and then the left hand,
09:39 but then other times he'll double up on the jab,
09:41 that changes the timing,
09:42 and then a fighter on the other side
09:44 is not ready for the left hand,
09:45 'cause it comes a second later
09:46 than you're expecting it to.
09:48 - They say the punch you don't see
09:49 is the one that hurts the most,
09:50 and that's what Nakatani wants to do,
09:51 he wants to hit you with that punch you don't see.
09:54 But Santiago's super tough,
09:55 you're gonna have to catch him with something
09:57 that he's not aware of.
09:59 - Halfway through this round three,
10:00 so we saw at the end of round two,
10:03 Santiago had success when he was able to close distance,
10:05 and we've been talking about how difficult
10:07 that is to do, Chris,
10:08 because you've gotta take punishment to do so.
10:10 But should Santiago try to ride that momentum
10:12 and do the same thing he did at the end of round two?
10:14 - What Santiago needs to do is,
10:15 he needs to deceptively close distance,
10:19 get himself to a position where he can explode
10:21 and still get to Nakatani.
10:23 The difficulty there is tricking Nakatani
10:26 into him not realizing you're getting that close.
10:29 Because if he tries to explode from the outside,
10:31 it's gonna be very easy for Nakatani
10:33 to take a half step back and be able to counter.
10:35 Big left hand over the top catches Santiago
10:39 when he thought he was safe on the way out,
10:41 still was able to land.
10:42 - That's a testament to the long left hand
10:45 and the reach of Nakatani,
10:47 that big left hand over the top,
10:50 and there it is again.
10:52 Nakatani now finding a home for the left hand.
10:55 - That's the thing, when Nakatani wants to go forward,
10:57 he can be very explosive, comes through with that one-two.
11:00 Now we got blood over the eye of the champion, Santiago,
11:04 over that right eye, probably from that overhand left.
11:07 I had mentioned he was cut there,
11:10 actually over both eyes,
11:12 in the fight against Donito Donaire,
11:13 his last fight seven months ago.
11:15 - Stop!
11:22 (bell rings)
11:24 (dramatic music)
11:30 (upbeat music)
11:51 ♪ Swing it one more time ♪
11:55 - We're building a better postal service.
12:01 All parts working in sync to move your business forward.
12:04 For more value, more reliability,
12:07 and more on-time deliveries.
12:08 The United States Postal Service,
12:10 built for how you business.
12:13 - Five dollar duo at Burger King.
12:15 - Have been draws, now he's been unlucky in some,
12:18 but that just speaks to how tough of a competitor he is.
12:21 He's always in a fight, win, lose, or draw.
12:23 - Yeah, we saw that in the Donaire fight,
12:25 you know, he started a little bit slow,
12:28 Donaire was very successful early,
12:29 but Santiago roared back in the second half of the fight.
12:33 That competitive nature showed itself,
12:36 and he ended up getting the win.
12:38 - And veteran referee Lawrence Cole is taking Santiago
12:42 to his corner to rub that Vaseline in.
12:44 It looks like, Chris, they were trying to just
12:46 keep it on the cut, but he wants them to rub it in there.
12:49 - Yeah, they really globbed it over there,
12:50 and that can be trouble, 'cause it can get in your eye,
12:52 you can fall on the mat and make it more slippery.
12:55 But really what the cutman's trying to do
12:57 is he's trying to get that medicine in there
12:58 so you can cover it with the Vaseline
13:01 so that adrenaline can get to work
13:02 closing up those blood vessels.
13:04 Nice jab from Nakatani, good timing, good distance,
13:09 half step back, snaps the jab.
13:18 Left hand gets through again for Nakatani.
13:20 And that time it was more in the looping fashion,
13:27 so that just adds another variable to Nakatani's attack.
13:30 Sometimes that left hand is straight,
13:32 sometimes it's looping, and you really never know.
13:34 And of course, the Maloney fight,
13:35 which we showed highlights of,
13:36 that was the looping left hand,
13:38 where he knocked down Maloney in spectacular fashion.
13:40 - If we saw there, as soon as he threw that looping shot,
13:42 he got into dangerously close position,
13:45 and that's where Santiago fired back with his overhand right
13:48 so Nakatani has realized, okay, not yet,
13:50 I can go to the looping punches later,
13:52 but I gotta stay long, I gotta stay straight for now.
13:54 Right hand from Santiago over the top
13:59 as Nakatani throws the left uppercut from too far away.
14:02 - And it seemed like Santiago had success
14:06 with that right hand because it was a lead right hand,
14:08 right, usually sometimes you set up the power shot
14:11 with a jab, but that time it was a lead
14:12 so it caught Nakatani by surprise.
14:15 - Yeah, Santiago's starting to realize
14:16 that he has to punch with Nakatani
14:19 because of his control of the range.
14:21 So as Nakatani steps in to try and hit him,
14:23 he's gotta throw with him.
14:24 The problem with that is he opens himself up
14:26 for those shots coming back his way,
14:28 but really that's his only shot at this one.
14:30 He needs to punch with Nakatani.
14:31 (players shouting)
14:58 - 45 seconds to go in round four.
15:01 Junto Nakatani working the jab, working at distance.
15:05 Alejandro Santiago, the champion,
15:07 trying to close distance and find openings
15:10 on the difficult Junto Nakatani.
15:12 Moment ago there, we saw Junto Nakatani
15:22 have success with the left hand.
15:23 He started from a lower angle that time and rose up.
15:26 And just giving Santiago different looks.
15:29 - Yeah, that's smart.
15:30 I mean, you got a smaller guy.
15:32 You're keeping the distance really well,
15:33 but you don't wanna throw everything
15:34 coming from the same trajectory.
15:35 He's changing height, changing levels.
15:37 Very, very smart.
15:38 'Cause again, you gotta think that Santiago
15:41 is gonna be anticipating these punches.
15:43 You gotta catch him with something he doesn't see.
15:45 There we see that good use of range from Nakatani.
15:55 That round, he was utilizing the one, two,
15:58 and then coming back with a power jab.
16:01 I like that coming from the southpaw position.
16:03 There we saw the overhand right from Santiago,
16:05 the lead that you were talking about, Curran,
16:07 that he threw while Nakatani was throwing
16:09 that uppercut from too far away.
16:11 And there's that other shot you just mentioned,
16:13 changing levels, coming from a lower position.
16:16 Landed a very solid left hand over the top.
16:19 - Right on the cut of Santiago.
16:21 And that first highlight there just illustrated
16:24 how difficult it is.
16:26 To fight Junto Nakatani.
16:27 He threw that three punch combination,
16:29 as you mentioned, Chris,
16:30 and then moved out of distance
16:32 because of his height and his length.
16:34 He moved away and Santiago was unable to counter in any way.
16:37 - A lot of it has to do with his balance.
16:38 He doesn't get over his front foot.
16:39 So he's always in balance, always in position
16:41 to take a half step back and be out of range.
16:44 Hit you and don't be hit.
16:45 That's what boxing's all about.
16:46 - And we do have open scoring in this fight.
16:55 All three judges have given every round so far
16:58 to Junto Nakatani, 40-36.
17:01 So a huge advantage for the challenger,
17:04 Junto Nakatani, Chris.
17:05 - Yeah, that's a good start.
17:07 I mean, I wouldn't know how else you could score it
17:08 at this point.
17:10 Nakatani doing a great job of containing Santiago,
17:14 keeping him on the outside
17:15 and controlling the distance throughout.
17:17 - We've seen moments for Santiago.
17:19 At the end of round two, he was able to get inside
17:22 and close some distance and land some power shots.
17:25 But a lot of this fight has been Junto Nakatani
17:28 working the jab at distance
17:30 and following it up with power shots.
17:31 - Yeah, at this range,
17:32 you're just not gonna beat Nakatani.
17:34 He is a master at keeping the distance,
17:36 throwing those long punches.
17:38 He's got the height and the reach advantage.
17:40 He can do this all night long.
17:44 (speaking in foreign language)
17:48 - Clash of heads there.
17:58 - And with everything we've said,
18:01 there is something to be said
18:02 for will, determination, toughness.
18:05 We saw that in our last fight with Christian Bacasegua.
18:08 He wasn't successful, but he was able to go the distance.
18:11 And the same thing here for Alejandro Santiago.
18:13 He's as tough as they've come.
18:16 And the difference is,
18:16 he's also had success at the world championship level.
18:19 So I don't see Alejandro Santiago continuing this fight
18:22 without at least trying other tactics,
18:25 trying to get inside,
18:26 trying to change up the momentum of this fight.
18:29 - Well, I mean, he is the champion.
18:30 He is defending his title.
18:31 Nakatani is the challenger.
18:33 So it's gonna be more than just trying.
18:34 I mean, nobody wants to leave their belt.
18:37 Big shots there from Nakatani as he backs Santiago up.
18:43 Good combinations, letting those hands fly.
18:45 - Junto Nakatani sweeping the opening rounds
18:51 and now putting on a show in round five.
18:53 Combinations, quickness, movement.
18:57 Left hands upstairs, seemingly unanswered.
19:01 - Santiago was frozen there for a moment.
19:04 He wasn't sure where the punches were coming from.
19:06 Nakatani mixing up these combinations very well.
19:10 (crowd cheering)
19:13 Good body shots.
19:22 Good left uppercut to the liver side of Santiago.
19:26 As Nakatani stops on a dime and fires that left hand.
19:29 (bell ringing)
19:32 - Stop!
19:34 Box!
19:39 (bell ringing)
19:40 - And it looks like a cut has also opened up
19:42 on the other eye.
19:44 (dramatic music)
19:46 (upbeat music)
19:59 (upbeat music)
20:02 - Detour?
20:19 - Yeah.
20:19 School isn't gonna be easy.
20:27 - I know.
20:29 (upbeat music)
20:31 - Let your hands go in combination.
20:34 And we're starting to see that more and more
20:36 from Nakatani as these rounds wear on.
20:39 And he's starting to disarm the champion Santiago.
20:43 - Round six underway on our phantom weight championship
20:48 fight, Karambati on the call,
20:49 joined by former world champion, Chris Algieri.
20:52 Junto Nakatani, the challenger in the white gloves.
20:54 Alejandro Santiago with the black gloves.
20:59 So far, according to open scoring
21:02 and what we've been seeing here,
21:03 it's been all Junto Nakatani using that height advantage,
21:06 that reach advantage, working off the jab,
21:08 working off of movement.
21:10 And Alejandro Santiago looking to make adjustments,
21:13 looking to get inside.
21:14 - Looking to no avail so far here in round.
21:18 - Oh!
21:19 Huge left hand by Nakatani, drops the champion,
21:24 Alejandro Santiago in round six.
21:27 - I'd mentioned multiple times,
21:31 he was gonna have to hit the champion with a shot
21:33 that he didn't see or anticipate.
21:36 Santiago did not see that punch coming.
21:38 Straight left hand right down the middle, beautiful shot.
21:41 Catches him on the point of the chin, put him down.
21:43 - And here comes Junto Nakatani, right hand,
21:46 down goes Santiago again.
21:49 This time it was the right hook that caused damage
21:52 to drop Santiago for the second time.
21:54 - I think the corner stopped it.
21:55 - Yeah, yeah, that's it.
21:57 - That's the end of the fight.
21:59 Junto Nakatani, the challenger,
22:03 now champion at Bantamweight,
22:06 with a sixth round TKO win over Alejandro Santiago.
22:11 - That was very impressive.
22:14 Junto Nakatani is very special.
22:16 I am super impressed.
22:18 I was very high on Santiago.
22:21 This is a tough fight, like I mentioned,
22:23 moving up in weight, moving up right into a title fight,
22:25 right against a very tough champion,
22:28 and to put him away that way, wow.
22:30 Shutout and then a sixth round stoppage, super impressive.
22:34 - He dared to be great.
22:35 Undefeated Japanese phenom, Junto Nakatani does it again.
22:40 Highlight reel knockout, and now world champion
22:45 in another weight class.
22:47 Sky is certainly the limit for Junto Nakatani.
22:50 - That made it special, absolutely.
22:52 - And it wasn't for lack of trying for Alejandro Santiago.
23:05 We mentioned the humble beginnings for him, the toughness.
23:08 He got dropped, he got up, he came forward,
23:10 but Junto Nakatani was just too much.
23:12 There was too many weapons there
23:14 for the challenger tonight.
23:16 - Yeah, no, I mean, it was a big ask for Santiago.
23:20 You know, Junto was fighting really well at distance
23:22 tonight, controlling the pace and the range perfectly.
23:25 It was a nearly flawless performance.
23:27 He got hit with a couple of shots there
23:28 in round two and three, but once he dialed in
23:31 and started letting those hands go,
23:32 Santiago just looked lost.
23:34 And that first knockdown, I don't believe he ever recovered
23:36 from that shot.
23:37 He didn't see the left hand that dropped him.
23:39 Beautiful shot right in the chin,
23:41 got up on unsteady legs, and Nakatani followed up,
23:44 got him out of there.
23:46 Fantastic work from Nakatani.
23:49 (crowd cheering)
23:51 And I get the feeling Team Nakatani is not surprised at all
23:58 by the way this fight went.
24:00 - New WBC bantamweight champion TKO round six,
24:07 one minute 12 into the round.