TOKYO (Dec. 27, 2024) — Three bantamweight firefights, including a pair of world title showdowns, are set for Monday, Feb. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

In the main event, pound-for-pound star Junto Nakatani will defend his WBC crown against unbeaten Mexican puncher David Cuellar. Newly crowned WBA champion Seiya Tsutsumi makes his first defense against former flyweight king Daigo Higa in the all-Japanese co-feature.

And, in a 10-round special feature, kickboxing legend Tenshin Nasukawa continues his burgeoning boxing journey against Australian former world champion Jason “Mayhem” Moloney.

Nakatani-Cuellar, Tsutsumi-Higa, and Tenshin-Moloney will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ as part of a special early-morning presentation.

Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs) enters 2025 coming off a prolific year that saw him ascend the bantamweight mountaintop. He dethroned Alexandro Santiago by sixth-round stoppage to win the WBC title in February, made his first defense in July with a first-round stoppage over Vincent Astrolabio, and notched a sixth-round TKO over Thailand’s Tasana Salapat in October. From Querétaro, Mexico, Cuellar (28-0, 18 KOs) turned pro in 2017 and will make his first professional appearance outside his home country. He is 5-0 since moving up to bantamweight in 2023, including a stoppage win over former world champion Luis Concepción.

Tsutsumi (12-0-2, 8 KOs) and Higa fought to a 10-round majority draw in October 2020 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. A longtime Japanese bantamweight champion, Tsutsumi bested Takuma Inoue by unanimous decision in October to capture the WBA title. Higa (21-3-1, 19 KOs) reigned as WBC flyweight world champion from 2017-2018. He is 5-2 since the defeat to Tsutsumi, most recently dropping a competitive decision to WBO bantamweight world champion Yoshiki Takei in September.

Tenshin (5-0, 2 KOs) turned pro in April 2023 and is ranked in the top 10 by three sanctioning organizations. He went 3-0 in 2024, capping off his campaign with a 10-round decision over Gerwin Asilo for the WBO Asia Pacific belt. Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs) became a crowd favorite in Japan when he fought Takei in May at the Toyko Dome. Despite losing a unanimous decision and his WBO bantamweight title to Takei, he had Takei badly hurt in the final seconds of the 12^th round. He returns against one of Japan’s mainstream sporting heroes in hopes of earning another title opportunity.

(June 14, 2022) — Undefeated junior bantamweight star David “El General” Cuellar hopes to notch his seventh consecutive knockout in a 10-round main event Friday evening against former world title challenger Yader Cardoza at Auditorio Municipal in Torreón, Mexico.

In the world title co-feature, WBC female bantamweight champion Yuliahn Luna will make the second defense of her title in a rematch versus Jessica Gonzalez.

Cuellar-Cardoza and Luna-Gonzalez headline a loaded night of fights streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Cuellar (21-0, 14 KOs), a 20-year-old from Queretaro, Mexico, is one of his country’s dynamic young talents. He has not been taken the distance since September 2019, a run that has included stoppage victories over former world champion Moises Fuentes and longtime contender Ricardo Blandon. He knocked out Blandon in six rounds in February despite Blandon missing weight by more than five pounds. Cardoza (26-17-1, 8 KOs), from Nicaragua, challenged for the WBC light flyweight world title in 2013 and has fought many of this generation’s top lighter weight talents. After a two-bout losing skid, he’s 2-0 in 2022 with a pair of eight-round decisions.

Luna (23-3-1, 4 KOs) has won seven straight bouts and is looking to avenge one of the losses on her ledger. Gonzalez (8-5-2, 1 KO), from Mexico City, defeated Luna by 10-round decision in a 2014 non-title affair. Since the Luna victory, she has twice challenged for a world title, dropping a 2016 split decision to Liliana Palmera for the WBA 122-pound strap and a technical decision to longtime WBA 130-pound champion Hyun Mi Choi in 2017. Last September, she picked up the WBC Interim bantamweight title with a split decision over Tatyana Zrazhevskaya in Russia.

In other streaming action, unbeaten junior bantamweight Luis “Peluchin” Araujo (10-0-2, 7 KOs) will take on Hector Robles (11-5-2, 3 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.3 million subscribers. 
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Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads). Subscribers to Hulu + Live TV also receive ESPN+ at no additional cost. 

(Feb. 4, 2022) — Junior bantamweight knockout artist David “El General” Cuellar will look to thrill the home fans when he battles Ricardo Blandon in the 10-round main event this Sunday, Feb. 6, in Cancun, Mexico. The 20-year-old Cuellar, from Queretaro, Mexico, is inching closer to world title contention.

Cuellar-Blandon headlines a packed card that will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Cuellar (20-0, 13 KOs) has won five straight fights by knockout, a run that began in November 2019. He went 2-0 in 2021, knocking out Karim Arce Lugo in nine rounds and stopping former world champion Moises Fuentes in the sixth. Blandon (15-4, 9 KOs) has never been knocked out, and two of his defeats have come by split decision. He fought last October, dropping a competitive decision to French prospect Elie Konki in France.

In other scheduled streaming bouts:

• Guadalajara-born junior featherweight prospect Cristopher Lopez (14-0-1, 10 KOs) will fight Nicaragua’s Dixon Flores (17-8-3, 6 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Lopez has won eight consecutive fights since the lone draw on his ledger.
   
• Rising junior lightweight Rosario Sanchez (16-0, 10 KOs) will fight Francisco Lucero (10-3-4, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
   
• Oziel Santoyo (13-1-1, 8 KOs), from Monterrey, Mexico, looks to make it 14 straight wins when he tangles with Brandon Perez (6-1-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-round junior middleweight tilt.
   
• The ESPN+ opener features unbeaten featherweight Celex Castro (11-0, 8 KOs) in a six-rounder versus Julio Cesar Juarez (4-9, 1 KO).

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 17.1 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year)
at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

David Cuellar scored a vicious 6th round stoppage over former world title challenger Moises Fuentes in a bantamweight bout.

In round three, The left eye of Fuentes began to swell.

In round six, Cuellar landed a devastating left hook that Fuentes down and out. The fight was stopped immediately with Fuentes needing medical attention to leave the ring.

Cuellar of Nuevo Laredo, MEX is 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Fuentas of Ciudad, MEX is 25-7-1.

Lopez Decisions Manzanilla

Christopher Lopez won a 10-round unanimous decision over Franklin Manzanilla in a super featherweight bout.

In round three, Lopez dropped Manzanilla with a hard flurry.

Lopez of Guadalajara, MX won by scores of 98-89, 97-91 and 95-93 and is now 14-0-1. Manzanilla of Caracas, VEN is 20-7.

Taras Shelestyuk remained undefeated with a 10th and final round stoppage over Ernesto Espana in a welterweight bout

In round 10, Shelestyuk landed a heavy combination on the ropes that forced a referee stoppage at 2:45.

Shelestyuk of Ukraine is 19-0 with 11 knockouts. Espana of Venezuela is 31-3-1.

Alberto Mora made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Nestor Mejia in super featherweight fight.

In round one, Mora dropped Mejia with an uppercut. In round two, he dropped Mejia with a left hook and the fight was stopped at 1:02.

Mora is 1-0 with one knockout. Mejia is 0-2.

(Oct. 14, 2021) — Mexico’s young general hopes to make it 20 for 20 in his toughest test to date. David “El General” Cuellar (19-0, 12 KOs) will make the first defense of his WBC Youth Silver 115-pound title in a 10-round main event against former world champion Moises Fuentes this Saturday, Oct. 16 at Oasis Arena in Cancun, Mexico.
 
Cuellar-Fuentes headlines a bill streaming live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
 
Cuellar turned pro as a 16-year-old in July 2017 and soon established himself as one of Mexico’s top prospects. He has won four straight bouts by knockout, most recently stopping the previously unbeaten Karim Arce in the ninth round of an action thriller. Fuentes (25-6-1, 14 KOs) is coming off a three-year layoff, but he has extensive experience against the world’s elite. He was the WBO 105-pound champion from 2011-2013, notched a fifth-round knockout over Puerto Rican legend Ivan Calderon, and won an interim world title at 108 pounds. In his last fight, he was stopped in five rounds by pound-for-pound legend Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.
 
In other streaming action on ESPN+:

• Junior featherweight prospect Cristopher “Pollo” Lopez (13-0-1, 10 KOs) looks to extend his winning streak to eight against knockout artist Franklin Manzanilla (20-6, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Manzanilla challenged Rey Vargas for a world title in 2019 and has won two straight fights by knockout.
   
• In a four-round junior lightweight bout, Mexico City’s Alberto Mora will make his professional debut against Nestor Mejia (0-0-1).
   
• Welterweight contender Taras Shelestyuk (18-0, 10 KOs), who captured a bronze medal for Ukraine at the 2012 London Olympics, will fight Venezuelan veteran Ernesto Espana (31-2-1, 26 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Shelestyuk has not fought since January 2020, when he outpointed Luis Alberto Veron over 10 rounds.
   
• Reigning WBC female light flyweight world champion Yesenia Gomez (18-5-3, 6 KOs) will take on veteran Itzayana Cruz (6-7, 1 KO) in an eight-round non-title fight.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).