Fighting in the undercard of Kenshiro vs. Budler this Monday night in Tokyo, Junto Nakatani will take on Argi Cortes for the WBO Super-Flyweight World Title. Nakatani is the current holder and with a packed Ariake Arena of home fans watching on, the 25-year-old will be eager to keep it that way.
Argi Cortes is one of many Mexican fighters in action over this weekend, as the nation celebrates its Independence Day. The 28-year-old is competing outside of his home country for the first time in his career and contesting a belt for the first time as well. He’ll be hoping to rebuild a winning streak that was ended in 2022 with a loss to Juan Francisco Estrada but will have his work cut out for him against an undefeated champion in Nakatani.
Read on for all the latest betting odds from bookmaker bet365 as well as our take on the best bets to make ahead of the Nakatani vs. Cortes title fight this Monday night.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 17th, 11:30 P.M. (GMT)
Much the same as the main event in Tokyo this Monday night, bookmaker bet365 has the odds ahead of this clash very one-sided in favour of the reigning champion. Junto Nakatani sits at 1.045 to win, while Argi Cortes pays an enormous 12.00 if he is victorious.
The method of result odds are a little tighter, for Nakatani at least. A knockout for the Japanese boxer will return 1.53, while the champion winning on the judges’ cards pays 2.50. For Cortes, the odds only get longer, as the Mexican is at 17.00 for a decision win, and 23.00 for a knockout—just as likely as a draw in the bookies’ eyes.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 17th, 11:30 P.M. (GMT)
We say the best bet here is backing Nakatani to win by knockout, for a moderate return of 1.53. The 25-year-old has fought 25 times and left his opponent seeing stars on 19 of those occasions. This includes seven of his last eight fights, with Nakatani most recently landing a brutal final round knockout over Andrew Moloney in what is a contender for knockout of the year.
While Cortes is a decent fighter and at one stage went 22 bouts without tasting defeat, the reality is he’s not quite cut from the same cloth as Nakatani. The Japanese boxer should have too much power and be far more comfortable fighting on the big stage in front of a home crowd. Expect Cortes to hang on for a few rounds, with this clash ending in less than 9.5 rounds—another great bet to make, returning 1.90.
