Japanese boxing sensation Naoya Inoue just keeps winning. In fact, he did so again Sunday night with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Murodjon Akhmadaliev at the IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Inoue won via scores of 117-111, 118-110, 118-110 and retained his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles.
Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) was simply masterful against Akhmadaliev (14-2, 11 KOs), delivering a sensational masterclass that saw him outboxing and outgunning the overmatched Uzbekistani, who had no answer for The Monster’s combination of blinding speed, power, and boxing acumen.
Even more, Inoue showed excellent defense and discipline throughout the 12-round fight, largely staying clear of Akhmadaliev’s reach and not recklessly going for the jugular, as he usually does. This sometimes reckless aggression has resulted in the Japanese getting knocked down in two of his last four fights, though he got back up each time and dominated after. Against Akhmadaliev, Inoue largely stayed out of trouble, although the Uzbekistani appeared to have wobbled the Japanese sensation with a clean left hook in the last 15 seconds of the fight. Akhmadaliev pressed the action for one last-ditch effort for a knockout, but Inoue managed to circle away until the final bell.
“We saw tonight what a complete fighter Inoue has become,” Inoue’s co-promoter Bob Arum said after the fight. “Not only a great puncher but [also] great strategy, great footwork. That’s what the real all-time greats have, and Inoue demonstrated that tonight.”
Naoya Inoue Sets Sights on Compatriot
Naoya Inoue has fought at super bantamweight in his last seven fights and has beaten some of the division’s top names, including Ramon Cardenas, Luis Nery, Stephen Fulton, and Marlon Tapales. He also has two wins against Filipino legend Nonito Donaire Jr., albeit at bantamweight. Now, it appears he will fight at 122 at least once more, potentially against WBC No. 1 contender Pablo Picasso in December in Saudi Arabia. The planned fight is reportedly being eyed as part of the Riyadh Season main event of a Japan-vs.-The World card on December 27 in Riyadh.
Farther into the future, it looks like Naoya Inoue is also setting his sights on compatriot Junto Nakatani, who holds the WBC, IBF, and The Ring titles at bantamweight and is also a big star in Japan like Inoue. The Monster even called out Nakatani post-fight.
“One more fight, and then I’m going to get you, Nakatani,” he told his compatriot, who was sitting ringside for the fight.
Nakatani is 31-0 with 24 knockouts—a ledger that’s nearly the same as Inoue. This is why an Inoue-Nakatani bout looks like the fight to make as it could potentially draw massive numbers, particularly in Japan, where the two are megastars. However, Nakatani has competed mostly at 118, while Inoue has been competing at 122 for a couple of years. It will thus be interesting to see if this planned superfight will take place at a catchweight or if one will either go up or drop down in weight.
Even so, that potential fight is too far away. At present, Naoya Inoue is still unbeaten and looking unbeatable, with a planned fight upcoming in December. But clearly, Naoya Inoue versus Junta Nakatani is something fans would love to see.
