Whilst all eyes have been on Turki Al-Alshikh over the last twelve months, other areas of the sport are thriving without his involvement, none more so than the Japanese boxing scene. The proud fighting nation now has it’s own superstar to get behind in, the form of arguable pound-for-pound number one Naoya Inoue, and his stock may be set to rise even further in the near future, with a notable name clearly in his plans..
Debuting at light-flyweight, Inoue challenged for and achieved world honours in just his sixth professional bout before going on to fight in 23 consecutive world title contests, maintaining his undefeated record across four weight divisions and become a two-weight undisputed champion in the process.
Since moving to super-bantamweight, Inoue has majorly impressed with four knockout victories that have seen him finally receive the worldwide recognition that his talent merits, and he is now considered by the majority as a top three pound-for-pounder, at the bare minimum.
However, the one thing preventing ‘The Monster’ from an established position atop the pound-for-pound throne is the lack of reputable names in the lower weight-classes – some arguing that a showdown with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is the only route to being crowned as boxing’s greatest fighter.
Yet, one more realistic name that has been mentioned with Inoue is that of fellow Japanese sensation and current WBC bantamweight champion, Junto Nakatani, who has conquered three weight divisions himself and won the 2023 Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year award for his brutal stoppage of Andrew Maloney.
Amid rumours of what would be the biggest clash in the history of Japanese boxing, Inoue detailed that Nakatani would need to defeat his brother and WBA bantamweight champion, Takuma Inoue, before he would offer him the shot at the undisputed super-bantamweight title, as per Essentially Sports.
“Before he [Nakatani] moves up [in weight] to fight me, he will have to fight my brother Takuma. That’s not easy because Takuma will be a very tough opponent and a thick wall for Nakatani.”
According to talkSPORT’s Michael Benson, Junto Nakatani has now confirmed that he is happy to adhere to Inoue’s two-fight proposal and move forward with a bantamweight unification showdown against Takuma Inoue in order to earn the fight with his world-renowned brother.
Junto Nakatani has welcomed Naoya Inoue's challenge to first fight his brother Takuma Inoue in a WBA & WBC bantamweight world title unification fight, then move up and fight him for the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO super-bantamweight world titles. pic.twitter.com/uRjI6zoPf6
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 25, 2024
“Junto Nakatani has welcomed Naoya Inoue’s challenge to first fight his brother Takuma Inoue in a WBA & WBC bantamweight world title unification fight, then move up and fight him for the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO super-bantamweight world titles.”
Naturally big for the bantamweight division, despite debuting at minimumweight, Nakatani’s move to 126lbs is a natural one and he would enter any encounter with Naoya Inoue as the one with the physical advantages. With both men appreciated for their knockout power, Inoue-Nakatani has to be perceived as one of the biggest possible events in the sport and one that would captivate boxing fans around the globe, as well as those in Japan.
As for the timescale, Naoya Inoue is expected to return against either Sam Goodman or Murodjhon Akhmadaliev in December, possibly opening the door for Nakatani to appear against his brother on the undercard and tee up a meeting for the second quarter of 2025.
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