By Napoleon Fly
Where To Watch: 📺ESPN+, BrunchBoxing.com (Live Round by Round Coverage)
Programming Note: Night one and night two will begin at 4AM EST, with a tentative main-event start time of 7AM EST.
On Sunday, October 13 and Monday, October 14, the eyes of the boxing world will be on Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, where Japanese promotional juggernaut Teiken Promotions, has put together a massive two-night Wrestlemania style event.
Headlining night one will be Takuma Inoue, as he defends his WBA Bantamweight Championship against the hard-hitting Seiya Tsutsumi. Not to be outdone, night two features the Brunch Boxing #10 ranked pound-for-pound superstar Junto Nakatani, as he defends his WBC Bantamweight Championship against the heavy-handed Petch CP Freshmart. Nakatani is on a collision course with the Inoue family and this weekend is the beginning of that path.
This massive event features a grand total of seven title fights, showcasing pound-for-pound fighters, top contenders, and big names from top to bottom. Careers, narratives, and major future matchups will be shaped. The star-studded, ten-fight affair is stacked with nonstop action. Inoue-Tsutsumi and Nakatani-CP Freshmart headline a two-night extravaganza of elite talent, streaming live on ESPN +.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about this must-watch event with The Ultimate Guide to Takuma Inoue vs. Seiya Tsutsumi & Junto Nakatani vs. Petch CP Freshmart.
10/13: Night One
Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) vs. Seiya Tsutsumi (11-0-2, 8 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Inoue’s WBA Bantamweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: Out of the Shadows
Written off after a 2019 loss to Nordine Oubaali, Inoue has stepped out of his brother’s shadow, winning the WBA title by defeating Liborio Solis, stopping Jerwin Ancajas, and recently decisioning Sho Ishida. Tsutsumi has climbed the ranks in Japan, notably drawing with Daigo Higa and defeating Kazuki Anaguchi.
Path to Victory: Takuma Inoue
Inoue will need to move smartly and vary his punches against Tsutsumi, landing counters with his quick hands. Tsutsumi is a sophisticated pressure fighter, and Inoue has been known to slow down late in fights (as seen against Tasana Salapat), so stamina will be critical.
Path to Victory: Seiya Tsutsumi
Tsutsumi must close the distance and attack Inoue’s body to slow his movement. He’ll need to be willing to take some shots to land his own and vary his offense to confuse Inoue, possibly using switch-hitting to gain an edge.
Fight Analysis: Tsutsumi is gritty and has impressive offensive depth, but Inoue’s speed—both in footwork and hand movement—will likely prove to be the deciding factor. Tsutsumi will press forward, aiming to break down Inoue’s legs with body work, but Inoue’s athleticism and quick counters should be enough to edge a decision. Still, this is a close fight, and Tsutsumi’s power and offensive variety could surprise.
Gambling Odds
Inoue: -320 ML
Tsutsumi: +240 ML
Final Thoughts: Inoue has matured into a top-tier fighter. With other bantamweight champions being Japanese, the winner is likely to seek a domestic unification, especially with Junto Nakatani.
Prediction: Inoue Decision
Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) vs. Cristofer Rosales (37-6, 22 KOs)
What’s At Stake: The Vacant WBC Flyweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: Moving On Up
Teraji moves up from a historic run at junior flyweight, where he was the lineal WBA/WBC champion. His last win was a razor-close fight-of-the-year contender against Carlos Canizales. Rosales has rebounded from a loss to IBF flyweight champion Angel Ayala Lardizabal, most notably upsetting prospect Joselito Velazquez.
Path to Victory: Kenshiro Teraji
Teraji must control the distance and use an active jab and body attack while leveraging his speed to stay a step ahead of Rosales.
Path to Victory: Cristofer Rosales
Rosales will need to use his height and reach advantages to keep Teraji at bay, disrupt his rhythm, and punch during Teraji’s resets.
Fight Analysis: This will be a tactical battle, with the first few rounds focused on positioning and jabbing. Rosales’ size advantage and toughness will keep him competitive, but Teraji’s speed, jab, and body work should wear Rosales down for a close decision.
Gambling Odds
Teraji: -750 ML, -150 KO/TKO, +220 Decision.
Rosales: +430 ML, +1100 KO/TKO, +850 Decision.
Total Rounds: Over at , Under at .
Fight To Go The Distance: Yes at +138, No at -176.
Final Thoughts: This is a pivotal fight for both men, with the winner eyeing unification fights with top-tier contenders like Bomba or Olascuaga.
Prediction: Teraji Decision
Shokichi Iwata (13-1, 10 KOs) vs. Jairo Noriega (14-0, 3 KOs)
What’s At Stake: The Vacant WBO Junior Flyweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: Rebuilding Iwata
Since a controversial decision loss to Jonathan Gonzalez two years ago, Iwata has rattled off four stoppage wins, most notably a drubbing of the game Rene Mark Cuarto. Since turning pro in 2018, Noriega has worked his way up against relatively obscure competition in Spain, recently pitching a shutout against the bigger Azael Villar in March.
Path to Victory: Shokichi Iwata
Iwata needs to pressure effectively and let his hands go. Iwata enjoys a substantial advantage in power, and can generate big punches out of nowhere. If Iwata closes the distance well and throws consistently, he will be able to break Noriega down.
Path to Victory: Jairo Noriega
Noriega should exploit Iwata’s low output by jabbing, moving and forcing Iwata to reset to land counters and combinations. Iwata had difficulty with Gonzalez’ movement and tricks and Noriega should implement part of Gonzalez’ game.
Fight Analysis: Noriega is a skilled technician, who can lace pretty combinations and flashy counters very well. Expect Noriega to win the early rounds clearly, with Iwata following him around and absorbing Noriega’s punches on his gloves. However, as the middle rounds begin, Iwata will to adjust and land power shots with increasing consistency. While Iwata likely will not land at high volume, they will be impactful and will break Noriega down slowly. Noriega will slow down and become more cautious as Iwata takes over. This will lead to a later round KO/TKO, which will be illustrative of why Noriega’s KO % is 21% and Iwata’s is 77%.
Gambling Odds
Iwata: -190 ML, +175 KO/TKO, +220 Decision.
Noriega: +140 ML, +1100 KO/TKO, +200 Decision.
Fight To Go The Distance: Yes at -180, No at +140.
Final Thoughts: The most competitive fight on these cards, Iwata-Noriega presents a fascinating clash of styles between a hard hitting bruiser and a classy stylist. The winner may pursue unification with the Nontshinga/Yabuki winner or the Canizales-Pradabsri winner.
Prediction: Iwata KO/TKO
Seigo Yuri Akui (20-2-1, 11 KOs) vs. Thananchai “NKL” Charunphak (25-1, 15 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Akui’s WBA Flyweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: Underrated vs. Unproven
Akui has built an underrated resume, defeating names like Masamichi Yabuki and Artem Dalakian. The 24-year-old Charunphak trains at Nakornluang Gym, which has produced notable fighters like Veeraphol Sahaprom and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
Path to Victory: Seigo Yuri Akui
Akui needs to walk Charunphak down, work behind his jab, and impose his strength inside.
Path to Victory: Thananchai NKL
Charunphak must use his height advantage to jab, maintain distance, and counter, as he did against Hatanaka.
Fight Analysis: Charunphak is a promising prospect with range and good footwork, while Akui is stronger and more experienced. Expect Charunphak to box on the backfoot early, but Akui’s experience should allow him to take control as the fight progresses.
Gambling Odds
Akui: -1600 ML, +210 KO/TKO, -185 Decision.
NKL: +660 ML, +1300 KO/TKO, +2300 Decision.
Fight To Go The Distance: Yes at -230, No at +174.
Final Thoughts: This is a fight where a hot prospect challenges himself early. Charunphak trains at Nakornluang Gym with elite fighters, most notably the juggernaut Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Whether or not Charunphak’s elite sparring has readied him for Akui will be found out soon.
Prediction: Akui Decision
10/14: Night Two
Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) vs. Tasana “Petch CP Freshmart” Salapat (76-1, 53 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Nakatani’s WBC Bantamweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: The Rising Superstar
Nakatani’s rise in the professional ranks has been nothing short of meteoric. Now a three division champion, Nakatani holds wins over Francisco Rodriguez Jr, Alexandro Santiago, Seigo Yuri Akui, Masamichi Yabuki and Angel Acosta, among others. Since losing to Takuma Inoue in 2018, Salapat has plugged away against unremarkable regional opposition.
Path to Victory: Junto Nakatani
Nakatani’s offensive variety, reach advantage and power offer him enough tools that he’s a considerable favorite. Frankly, he has a lot of options on how to prosecute this fight, and should be able to win the fight anywhere it goes.
Path to Victory: Petch CP Freshmart
Overall Salapat’s path to victory is limited as the smaller, softer hitting man. However, he may be able to exploit Nakatani’s inexperience against southpaws by with unorthodox shots, and may also be able to smother Nakatani on the inside to some effect.
Fight Analysis: Salapat is a better fighter than he’s given credit for. He has surprisingly good punch variety and, if nothing else, is tough and a sneaky counterpuncher. With that being said, this is a fight between two different classes of fighters. Salapat has fought his career against regional level competition the likes of Jeson Umbal and Chenghao Luo. The sole exception to this was a clear decision loss to Takuma Inoue for the WBC interim bantamweight title in 2018, where Inoue was able to land at will on Salapat. Salapat’s southpaw stance might give Nakatani some odd looks at times, but Nakatani will break him down for a mid-round stoppage.
Gambling Odds
Nakatani: -5000 ML, -750 KO/TKO, +550 Decision.
CP Freshmart: +1320 ML, +3100 KO/TKO, +4800 Decision.
Fight To Go The Distance: Yes at +460, No at -750.
Final Thoughts: There isn’t much point to this fight, other than to set up a storyline for a Takuma Inoue fight afterwards. That could eventually lead to the most interesting fight available for Nakatani: Naoya Inoue. Still, keep an eye out on how Nakatani handles a southpaw like Salapat.
Prediction: Nakatani KO/TKO
Kosei Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) vs. Phumelele Cafu (10-0-3, 8 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Tanaka’s WBO Super Flyweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: Back and Better Than Ever
After losing to Kazuto Ioka in his debut at 115 pounds, Tanaka has strung together a series of wins which has led him to winning the WBO title earlier this year, making him a four division champion. Cafu has built his way up quietly in South Africa, most notably beating respected contender Jackson Chauke by decision in late 2022.
Path to Victory: Kosei Tanaka
Tanaka will need to close the distance and let his hands go to land combinations when Cafu opens up defensively. Tanaka will also need to be defensively responsible and not fall into old bad habits of moving back in straight lines with his chin up.
Path to Victory: Phumelele Cafu
Cafu will want to move around, tie up and body jab Tanaka enough to break up his rhythm and keep him resetting. Cafu has an excellent jab to the body and is good at varying his punch levels. If he uses a smart strategy, he can use this to counter Tanaka.
Fight Analysis: Since losing to Ioka, Tanaka has refined his game substantially; rather than coming forward bouncing combinations off of his opponents, he is now more patient and picks his shots better. Tanaka struggles with precise counter punchers like Ioka and rough pressure fighters, but Cafu doesn’t fight much like either. Still, Cafu is a good mover and a cagey guy, so I expect Tanaka will have some early rounds where he looks ineffective. However, expect that he will adjust over the course of the fight and begin to land his shots more accurately, ramping up the combos to a win. However, don’t be surprised if Cafu gets his hand raised.
Gambling Odds
Tanaka: -1100 ML, -135 KO/TKO, +165 Decision.
Cafu: +540 ML, +1200 KO/TKO, +1400 Decision.
Fight To Go The Distance: Yes at +120, No at -152.
Final Thoughts: Cafu-Tanaka is an underrated tactical bout. It runs the risk of being boring, but it should be a high level chess match. Expect Tanaka to show up motivated, as a fight with the legend Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez looms in the future, with a Tanaka victory.
Prediction: Tanaka Decision
Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs) vs. Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Olascuaga’s WBO Flyweight Championship
Pre-fight Buildup: Last Dance For La Bomba?
Since beating Elwin Soto in 2021, Bomba’s run at junior flyweight has been a series of close fights, recently winning a uninspiring unanimous decision over Rene Santiago. Olascuaga crashed onto the world level last year as a last minute replacement for Bomba against Teraji. Since losing to Teraji, Olascuaga beat Giemel Magramo and Riku Kano for the WBO Flyweight Championship.
Path to Victory: Anthony Olascuaga
Olascuaga will need to exploit his advantages in power, speed, athleticism, stamina and size. Olascuaga enjoys a 2-inch height advantage and 3.5-inch reach advantage. Timing and unpredictability will be necessary to catch the crafty Puerto Rican.
Path to Victory: Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez
Bomba should exploit Olascuaga’s tendency to overreach and leave himself out of position when throwing hooks. A spoiler counter punching type fight with a lot of turning where Bomba wins the southpaw-orthodox foot positioning is to Bomba’s advantage.
Fight Analysis: Bomba-Olascuaga is an archetypical southpaw vs. orthodox matchup. Bomba is a spoiler type of fighter. Expect him to approach this fight very much in that manner, as he will be substantially outgunned by the younger Olascuaga in terms of power, speed, athleticism, size and reach. Olascuaga can be outboxed. Expect that there will be portions of this fight where he looks lost against Bomba’s movement and veteran tactics. However, ultimately, expect Bomba will slow down as the fight goes on, and Olascuaga will land on him increasingly as time goes on. Eventually, Olascuaga will catch Bomba with a big shot and put his lights out.
Gambling Odds
Olascuaga: -350 ML, -105 KO/TKO, +250 Decision.
Gonzalez: +245 ML, +490 KO/TKO, +750 Decision.
Fight To Go The Distance: Yes at +140, No at -180.
Final Thoughts: Given their histories with Teraji, the winner of Olascuaga-Gonzalez is likely to pursue a fight with Teraji, should Teraji beat Rosales. A rematch between Olascuaga and Teraji would be dynamite.
Prediction: Olascuaga KO/TKO
Tenshin Nasukawa (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Gerwin Asilo (9-0, 4 KOs)
What’s At Stake: No title at stake
Pre-fight Buildup: The Kickboxer Turned Pro
Japanese kickboxing superstar Nasukawa continues his rise through the ranks, as he positions himself for a title. Despite his novice boxing record, Nasukawa is the money man of the division due to his kickboxing accolades. Asilo is a young, well regarded Filipino prospect training out of the vaunted PMI Bohol Boxing Stable.
Path to Victory: Tenshin Nasukawa
Nasukawa will need to stay on top of Asilo, close the distance and work his combinations on the light punching Asilo. Nasukawa’s body punching and hand speed will be critical in slowing the slippery Asilo down, and setting up his combinations.
Path to Victory: Gerwin Asilo
Asilo is a mobile fighter that loves to bounce in and out to land his combinations. Slippery and capable of landing counters, he will want to move and use his height advantage to keep Nasukawa swinging, missing and on the end of his punches.
Fight Analysis: Asilo is a tough fight for Nasukawa. Expect Asilo to be on his bike for much of the fight, jabbing and countering when Nasukawa plants his feet for a combination. However, Asilo is feather-fisted and still quite inexperienced. What can realistically be expected is a tricky first few rounds for Nasukawa, as he slowly adjusts and begins to close the distance on Asilo. By the mid rounds, expect Nasukawa’s body work and combinations to wear Asilo down for a late stoppage. Nasukawa will certainly have a few moments where he looks silly, but ultimately he’s likely to overwhelm the young Asilo.
Gambling Odds
Nasukawa: -1400 ML
Asilo: +880 ML
Final Thoughts: Should Nasukawa win, expect the bantamweight division to move heaven and earth to fight with him, as he is the biggest name in the division. A collision course with WBO champion Yoshiki Takei seems likely, as it offers a matchup between two former top kickboxers.
Prediction: Nasukawa KO/TKO
The event also features Ryugo Sato and Ayato Kobayashi in separate bouts on night one and night two respectively.
Headlined by Takuma Inoue and Junto Nakatani in separate bouts, the massive two-night event is set to deliver a bevy of action-packed matchups. Fans can look forward to an unforgettable night of boxing.
Don’t miss a second of the action—catch it live on ESPN+ or follow along with BrunchBoxing.com’s live round-by-round coverage!
Full Event Details:
10/13: Night One
Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) vs. Seiya Tsutsumi (11-0-2, 8 KOs), 12 rounds for the WBA Bantamweight Championship
Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) vs. Cristofer Rosales (37-6, 22 KOs), 12 rounds for the vacant WBC Flyweight Championship
Shokichi Iwata (13-1, 10 KOs) vs. Jairo Noriega (14-0, 3 KOs), 12 rounds for the vacant WBO Junior Flyweight Championship
Seigo Yuri Akui (20-2-1, 11 KOs) vs. Thananchai NKL (25-1, 15 KOs), 12 rounds for the WBA Flyweight Championship
Ryugo Sato (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Asato Sato (1-1-1, 1 KO)
10/14: Night Two
Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) vs. Petch CP Freshmart (76-1, 53 KOs), 12 rounds for the WBC Bantamweight Championship
Kosei Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) vs. Phumelele Cafu (10-0-3, 8 KOs), 12 rounds for the WBO Super Flyweight Championship
Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs) vs. Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs), 12 rounds for the WBO Flyweight Championship
Tenshin Nasukawa (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Gerwin Asilo (9-0, 4 KOs)
Ayato Kobayashi (1-0, 0 KOs) vs. Excell James Junior (2-1, 0 KOs)
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