Night of the Samurai: Junto Nakatani Maintains ‘Monster’ Pursuit
Read BOXRAW’s The Ring V: Night of the Samurai preview ahead of Junto Nakatani’s next fight against Sebastian Hernandez Reyes in Saudi Arabia.
Three-weight World Champion Junto Nakataniwillbegin his charge towards a fourth division title,as he faces Sebastian Hernandez Reyes in his super-bantamweight debut on TheRing’s‘Night of the Samurai’ card.
‘Big Bang’ is closing in on the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history against fellow pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue, with their monumental showdown being lined up for May 2026.
Both men will first aim to secure respective winswhenthey feature on thesame December card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to set up their clash in Tokyo next year.
Here’severything you need to know ahead of a huge night of Japanese boxing,with BOXRAW’s full The Ring V: Night of the Samurai preview.
When isThe Ring V: Night of the Samurai?
This stacked Ring V: Night of the Samurai card will take place on Saturday,December 27th.
Where isThe Ring V: Night of the Samuraitaking place?
The Ring V: Night of the Samurai will be held at Mohammed Abdo Arena inRiyadh,Saudi Arabia.
What time doesThe Ring V: Night of the Samuraistart?
The undercard is expected to begin from3:00 am ET / 12:00 am PT / 8:00 am GMT / 5:00 pm JST, with the main event scheduled for approximately7:55 am ET / 4:55 am PT / 12:55 pm GMT / 9:55 pm JST.
The Ring V: Night of the Samurailive stream
The event will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.
The Ring V: Night of the SamuraiPPV Price
Fans canwatch The Ring V: Night of the Samurai through a DAZN subscription.
The Ring V: Night of the SamuraiUndercard
Here’sthe fullThe Ring V: Night of the Samuraiundercard line-up below.
It was confirmed earlier this year that a historic match-up between Nakatani and Inoue was alreadyin the works for May 2026 at The Tokyo Dome.
Both men are undefeated pound-for-pound fighters with multiple world titles across divisions, and a clash between them would become one of the most prominent fights in modern history.
Nakatani will aim to overcome the threat that Reyes poses first on December 27th, as he tests the waters at super-bantamweight after anotherjump up weight classes.
The 27-year-old has been on a dominant run of form throughout 2025, withknockout victories over David Cuellar Contreras and Ryosuke Nishida to unify the titles at 118 pounds.
Meanwhile, Inoue will defend his Undisputed belts against David Picasso in the main event of this talent-laden Night of the Samurai event.
“My life has been all about becoming a world champion and a great fighter and being able to prove I am worthy of being on the pound-for-pound list,” Nakatani stated, as he continues his climb up the pound-for-pound rankings.
“It makes all of my training and sacrifices I’ve made over the years, throughout my life, pay off. I hope to become stronger in the future and climb up that list further.”
Both Nakatani and Inoue look poised to earn their latest statement successes and cap off strong respective calendar years, with their blockbuster all-Japanese showdownon the horizon in the Land of the Rising Sun.
THE NAKATANI X BOXRAW COLLECTION
Honouring the legacy of three-division World Champion Junto ‘Big Bang’ Nakatani. The Nakatani x BOXRAW Collection is available now.
Both men will first aim to secure respective wins when they feature on the same December card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to set up their clash in Tokyo next year.
The 27-year-old has been on a dominant run of form throughout 2025, with knockout victories over David Cuellar Contreras and Ryosuke Nishida to unify the titles at 118 pounds.
“It makes all of my training and sacrifices I’ve made over the years, throughout my life, pay off. I hope to become stronger in the future and climb up that list further.”
Honouring the legacy of three-division World Champion Junto ‘Big Bang’ Nakatani. The Nakatani x BOXRAW Collection is available now.