If you don’t go along with the idea of Naoya Inoue being the 2023 Fighter of the Year (and if you don’t, why don’t you?), chances are you will have no problem agreeing that the KO of the Year was scored by Junto Nakatini. Yes indeed, boxing is really buzzing in Japan right about now; in fact, it has been for some time.
We all know how special “Monster” Inoue has been this year – two fights, four world titles won, with Inoue winning both of his super-bantamweight title fights by way of KO. Inoue is justly receiving many plaudits.
But as far as the most savage, ‘wow’ moment Knockout of the Year is concerned, well, that was scored by Japanese southpaw Junto Nakatini. 25 year old Nakatini, fighting Andrew Moloney for the vacant WBO junior bantamweight title in May, gave us a real electric shock of a one-punch KO.
Nakatini was winning the fight that was staged in Las Vegas, and he had scored two knockdowns, these in rounds 4 and 11. Moloney showed heart in carrying on rumbling, or trying to. But how Moloney’s lights were put out in the 12th and final round. Nakatini landed an in-close left hand to the head that instantaneously short-circuited Moloney’s nervous system, the co-challenger going down the split-second the bomb connected.
It was sizzling. It was a stark and graphic reminder of how damaging a single, well-placed (see perfectly placed) punch can be. Moloney, laid flat on his back, blood streaming from his eye, had zero chance of coming anywhere close to beating the count of 10.
Nakatini, who advanced to 25-0(19) with the crushing win, and has since improved to 26-0(19), flattened a man who had never previously been stopped.
Who knows, maybe one day, Nakatini and Inoue could end up fighting each other in what would be one heck of a fight!
For now, Inoue celebrates as this year’s best fighter, while Nakatini’s lethal handy-work gave us this year’s most impressive and memorable knockout.
https://youtu.be/rzZmSVibJFc?si=Sk-Fap7Tv9xsKNjP&t=902
