Teddy Atlas has offered his assessment of the upcoming showdown between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani. He suggested that while Inoue remains the clear favourite, Nakatani has the tools to make it competitive.
Inoue is set to defend his undisputed super bantamweight title against Nakatani at Tokyo Dome on May 2. The fight, widely regarded as one of the biggest in Japanese boxing history, featured two unbeaten fighters colliding at the peak of their powers.
‘The Monster’ remains a heavy favourite to win the bout according to many analysts and boxers alike. However, few believe that Nakatani could pull the upset.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Atlas acknowledged Inoue’s dominance but refused to rule out Nakatani entirely. He believes the ‘Big Bang’s style gives him a genuine chance of testing the undisputed champion and thinks the fight will ultimately come down to control of distance.
“Listen, Inoue’s a big [betting] favourite … I think Nakatani’s a live dog. You have to like Inoue; it’s hard to go against him. This fight will come down to geography. Who fights at the range, the distance, the location that better-suits them for their talent?” Atlas said.
Atlas highlighted the fighting style of both to assess and also raised questions about Nakatani’s durability following his recent bout.
“Inoue wants to be close; Nakatani wants to be [fighting] at a distance. And he’s a southpaw. He wants to make it hard for Inoue to make ground. Nakatani took a lot of punishment [against Hernandez]. Has he had enough time to recover? He went in that ring and came out of it with probably a little less of himself.”
Atlas says Nakatani can test Inoue despite underdog status
Despite those concerns, Atlas stopped short of ruling Nakatani out.
“At 28, he’s young enough to handle that youth can do amazing things. I give Nakatani a shot.”
Both fighters have identical records of 32 victories. And they last fought on the same card on December 27 at the “Night of Samurai” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
where the reigning champion defended his title against David Picasso, he secured a unanimous decision victory.
On the other hand, Nakatani, in the hard-fought back-and-forth battle, also secured a unanimous decision victory, defeating Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez.
While Inoue enters as the favourite, Atlas’ analysis highlights the tactical battle that could unfold and the possibility that Nakatani could push him further than expected.
The fight not only carries significance for both fighters but also marks a landmark moment in Japanese boxing, with global attention firmly fixed on the outcome.
