Undefeated world champion boxer Junto Nakatani will attend Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars last home game of the season against Black Rams Tokyo on Saturday.
Sagamihara-based Nakatani, who sports a perfect 27-0-0 record, captured the WBC bantamweight crown by stopping Mexico’s Alexandro Santiago last time out at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February.
Glenn Delaney’s side sit ninth with two games to go and have already retained their top-flight spot for next season.
Their final visitors for the 2023-2024 season, Black Rams Tokyo, who sit one place below them in the table, will feature in the post season relegation-promotion games against division two opposition (NEC Green Rockets, Urayasu D-Rocks or Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi).
Nakatani, who fights out of MT Boxing Gym in Midori Ward, Sagamihara City, will be introduced to the crowd before the match at Sagamihara Gion Stadium.
The Mie-born southpaw is the third Japanese man in history to become an undefeated champion in three weight classes.
The Dynaboars, who were founded in 1981, are no strangers to welcoming major names to Sagamihara with 2008 World Player of The Year Shane Williams and Sevens legend Waisale Serevi among their alumni.
Former All Black Jackson Hemopo - whose one of a host of players in League One hailing from the hotbed of Palmerston North Boys' High School including Hadleigh Parkes, Rob Thompson and Ngani Laumape - is the club’s joint top try scorer (seven) this season alongside wingers Ben Paltridge and Honeti Taumohaapai.
Former Tonga u18 international Taumohaapai studied at Hanazono University and has played sevens for Japan before joining Kubota Spears in 2019 and then transferring to the Dynaboars in 2021.
Thailand-born wing Paltridge (below) has also showed his quality all season long and added to his record with a sublime finish on Saturday.
Former Northampton Saints fly-half James Grayson has been a consistent performer in the number 10 jersey and has amassed a haul of 118 points which makes him the fifth highest scorer in the division.
After hosting the Rams, the Dynaboars will finish their season in Osaka against Quade Cooper’s relegation-threatened Kintetsu Liners on Sunday 5 May. Pictures courtesy of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars
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