Naoya Inoue sets target date for fight boxing world desperately wants to see
Naoya Inoue is hoping to face Junto Nakatani next year in what will be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. A verbal agreement is in place, while the expectation is that the blockbuster showdown will land at the iconic Tokyo Dome. Inoue holds all four super-bantamweight titlesPHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images A date is yet to be tied down, however, the undisputed super bantamweight champion already has a timeframe in mind. “Maybe May 2026,” Inoue said at his post-fight press conference following his recent stoppage win over Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas. Inoue picked himself up off the canvas in round two to dispatch Cardenas in the eighth stanza. In doing so, he punched his ticket for a WBA mandatory defence against Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September. Providing he comes through that fight unscathed, then the path will be cleared for the super fight with Nakatani. WBC bantamweight champion Nakatani (30-0) is ranked No.7 in the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list and is a three-weight world champion, having previously held belts at flyweight and super flyweight. He is set to face Ryosuke Nishida on June 8 in a WBC and IBF unification clash at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. His handlers are keen for their man to fight Inoue as soon as possible while ‘The Monster’ is still in his prime, but Nakatani isn’t looking too far ahead. “I want to establish myself as a great bantamweight and possibly move up in weight, but it will be a year of challenges for me,” he said earlier this year. “I’m not setting any timeframe [for the Inoue fight]; next year, maybe further on. GettyNakatani is the WBC bantamweight champion[/caption] “I really don’t know. But it’s something I’m looking forward to. “It’ll be a big fight, not just in Japan, but around the world. “He [Inoue]’s rated as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, and along with that, I have a lot of respect for him. “And I’m influenced by him, I want to improve my rankings in the pound-for-pound as well.” Nakatani last fought in February, blasting away David Cuellar inside three rounds. He snatched the WBC bantamweight crown from Alexandro Santiago 12 months prior and has defended it thrice.
Naoya Inoue is hoping to face Junto Nakatani next year in what will be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history.
A verbal agreement is in place, while the expectation is that the blockbuster showdown will land at the iconic Tokyo Dome.
A date is yet to be tied down, however, the undisputed super bantamweight champion already has a timeframe in mind.
“Maybe May 2026,” Inoue said at his post-fight press conference following his recent stoppage win over Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas.
Inoue picked himself up off the canvas in round two to dispatch Cardenas in the eighth stanza.
In doing so, he punched his ticket for a WBA mandatory defence against Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September.
Providing he comes through that fight unscathed, then the path will be cleared for the super fight with Nakatani.
WBC bantamweight champion Nakatani (30-0) is ranked No.7 in the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list and is a three-weight world champion, having previously held belts at flyweight and super flyweight.
He is set to face Ryosuke Nishida on June 8 in a WBC and IBF unification clash at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.
His handlers are keen for their man to fight Inoue as soon as possible while ‘The Monster’ is still in his prime, but Nakatani isn’t looking too far ahead.
“I want to establish myself as a great bantamweight and possibly move up in weight, but it will be a year of challenges for me,” he said earlier this year.
“I’m not setting any timeframe [for the Inoue fight]; next year, maybe further on.
“I really don’t know. But it’s something I’m looking forward to.
“It’ll be a big fight, not just in Japan, but around the world.
“He [Inoue]’s rated as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, and along with that, I have a lot of respect for him.
“And I’m influenced by him, I want to improve my rankings in the pound-for-pound as well.”
Nakatani last fought in February, blasting away David Cuellar inside three rounds.
He snatched the WBC bantamweight crown from Alexandro Santiago 12 months prior and has defended it thrice.
