Junto Nakatani began as he meant to go on.

A furious start, aggressive middle and injury-inducing end saw Ryosuke Nishida depart the ring battered and bruised, while the Naoya Inoue superfight remains viable for 2026 after Nakatani unified the WBC, IBF bantamweight world titles and claimed the vacant Ring strap at 118 pounds in a fiery battle between unbeaten champions in the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan.

Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) was a clear favourite given his pedigree and heralded punching power, while Nishida (10-1, 2 KOs) deemed this a battle between "Big Bang" and the "Black Hole" in an entertaining champion vs. champion matchup. There was only one winner, as Inoue was among the interested spectators ringside to see his rival scoop more of his old titles.

A loud cheer reverberated around the arena as Nakatani addressed the elephant in the room afterwards, admitting he was looking forward to a future Inoue showdown and jokingly told the 32-year-old to wait for him at 122 pounds.

A three-division world champion who has now unified a stacked class at 118 pounds, his avalanche of pressure again proved too much for another unbeaten foe having done the same inside three rounds to then-unbeaten contender David Cuellar (28-1, 18 KOs) on Feb. 24.

Their unification began at a frantic pace that couldn't be sustained, Nakatani whipping uppercuts, ripping hooks and cuffing shots wherever possible at close range.

He punched in twos and threes, Nishida firing back with a good body shot though the pre-fight favourite responded aggressively, almost offended he was being tagged that much.

Two big left hands connecting flush with a minute left in the second were Nakatani's calling card and there was a sense Nishida needed to do something differently as he pressed forward, otherwise trading would see this contest stopped in the second half.

A series of uppercuts flowed through the WBC champion's fists as he tried piercing Nishida's guard, though trainer Rudy Hernandez urged his charge to switch it up as his fellow titleholder was starting to predict that mode of attack through six minutes.

Nakatani exploded forward with leaping right hooks in the third, Nishida's deceptive punch power keeping him honest, but as time wore on so did their difference in noteworthy output.

Nishida was punching with him in the fourth, though the crowd's chants for the underdog were silenced by a big left hand. Unloading in the fifth, Nishida's right eye was quickly closing, and after a brief doctor's assessment Nakatani returned directly to the target moments later with more looping haymakers which was again the theme in a fiery sixth, the IBF champion's face bruised and his defences breached with more of the same.

Nakatani's smile between rounds felt ominous. Compassionately, an end to the contest was called in-between rounds and Nishida received a warm reception after trudging off with an injured shoulder and eye swollen shut after a spirited but unsuccessful championship display.

Meanwhile in the evening's chief support bout, surging contender Tenshin Nasukawa (7-0, 2 KOs) apologised for not getting the knockout, but rarely looked in trouble en route to an impressive decision win (99-91, 99-91, 100-90) over Victor Santillan (14-2, 5 KOs).

The 26-year-old, who outpointed former WBO world bantamweight champion Jason Moloney in February, banked another impressive 10 rounds where his left hand couldn't miss and the bloodied cut above his left eye was evidence of another competitive clash he dearly needed.

"What I learned tonight is that not everything will always go my way," Nasukawa said through a translator, as he steadily increases his levels of resistance towards world honours.

Nasukawa was in control early, boxing smartly and beating Santillan to the punch frequently when they exchanged up close.

Jabs and right hooks by the Dominican cut the home favourite, though uppercuts were the 27-year-old's best punch, one he used astutely while countering and maintaining defensive responsibility in close quarters while targeting a highlight reel finish.

Tthe WBC's No. 1 contender and No. 2 with WBA and WBO, Nasukawa has a potential matchup with champion Yoshiki Takei (11-0, 9 KOs). It will not be next, though, as Takei will face his mandatory challenger Christian Medina (25-4, 18 KOs) after both pitched stoppage victories last month.

Elsewhere on the undercard, Tokyo's bantamweight hopeful Riku Misuda (8-1, 8 KOs) added a fifth consecutive knockout win to dismiss Michell Banquez (23-6, 15 KOs) since losing his unbeaten streak against See Tsutsumi in August 2023.

Amateur talent Tomoya Tsuboi (2-0, 1 KO) seized a regional belt in his second pro fight after emerging a comfortable winner over ten rounds (100-90 twice, 98-92) against Vietnam's Van Thao Tran (18-2, 10 KOs).

There was another Tokyo triumph for teenage strawweight Rukia Okubo (2-1-1, 2 KOs) as part of the non-televised portion. Riku Miyashita opened his account in the paid ranks with a four-round points win (39-36, 38-37 twice) over Toya Oshima after a competitive tussle of professional debutants at junior bantamweight.