An epic showdown awaits in Tokyo on Saturday as Naoya Inoue defends his undisputed crown against Junto Nakatani.
Both Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) & Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) come into the contest unbeaten, with 32 wins under their belts.
‘The Monster’ has ruled the super bantamweight division since his win over Luis Nery in 2024, where he picked up the undisputed crown.
Inoue has proven to be one of, if not the best fighter on the planet in recent years, with so many statement wins over opposition such as Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Ramon Cardenas, Nonito Donaire and many more.
He was last in action in the closing stages of 2025 when he headlined against David Alan Picasso in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Inoue made light work of his man with a completely one-sided showing over 12 rounds.
‘The Monster’ has gone the distance in both of his last two fights, which is, shockingly, the longest time since he last stopped an opponent.
He takes on the equally impressive Nakatani on Saturday, who on paper may be Inoue’s toughest test to date.
‘Big Bang’ has been linked to a fight with Inoue for the last few years, with many believing he may have enough to dethrone the current champion.
Most of Nakatani’s success throughout his career has taken place at super flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight, as he looks to win a world title in a fourth division.
He has only fought at the super bantamweight limit once prior to Saturday night, fighting on the same card as Inoue in December last year.
He took on Sebastian Hernandez Reyes in what was a fairly lacklustre showing.
He will hope to raise his level on Saturday night in what is his toughest test to date.
Inoue vs Nakatani – Date, Venue, Start Time and Ring Walks
- The pair will fight on Saturday May 2nd, live from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo.
- The broadcast will begin at 8am BST / 3am ET / 12am PT
- The main event will begin at approximately 1pm BST / 8am ET / 5am PT
Inoue vs Nakatani – How To Watch
- The card is available to watch worldwide on DAZN’s pay-per-view platform.
- The pay-per-view can be purchased from £24.99 or a DAZN Ultimate subscription can be purchased from £22.99
Inoue vs Nakatani – Last Three Fights
Naoya Inoue
- Naoya Inoue bt David Picasso – Unanimous decision
- Naoya Inoue bt Murodjon Akhmadaliev – Unanimous Decision
- Naoya Inoue bt Ramon Cardenas – 8th Round TKO
Junto Nakatani
- Junto Nakatani bt Sebastian Reyes – Unanimous Decision
- Junto Nakatani bt Ryosuke Nishada – 6th Round Retirement
- Junto Nakatani bt David Contreras – 3rd Round KO
Inoue vs Nakatani – Undercard
- Takuma Inoue (21-2) vs Kazuto Ioka (32-4-1) – bantamweight (12 rounds)
- Toshiki Shimomachi (22-1-3) vs Reiya Abe (28-4-2) – featherweight (10 rounds)
- Sora Tanaka (5-0) vs Jin Sasaki (20-2-1) – welterweight (10 rounds)
- Kosuke Tomioka (11-4) vs Shogo Tanaka (5-0) – flyweight (10 rounds)
- Deok No Yun (10-2-1) vs Yuito Moriwaki (1-0-1) – super middleweight (10 rounds)
- Yoshiki Takei (11-1) vs DeKang Wang (9-1) – super bantamweight (8 rounds)
