Naoya Inoue has fought in the United Kingdom once in his career, but could return to British shores following his mockery of a potential future opponent.
Naoya Inoue has spent 25 of his 29 fights in his home country of Japan, with three of the remaining four taking place in the US.
Outside of Japan and the US, Inoue has fought in one other country – Scotland.
“That ball is funny, but don’t kick it!”… Naoya Inoue mocks British Nick Ball following stoppage win over shared opponent
Last night saw Liverpool’s Nick Ball, who many say was robbed against Rey Vargas, defeat TJ Doheny via tenth-round stoppage in defense of his WBA featherweight title.
Controversy ensued when Ball appeared to kick Doheny in his corner during the fight, with many suggesting he ought to be disqualified for the act.
Inoue tweeted following the fight, writing:
Inoue, who many want to see fight Gervonta Davis, beat Doheny in his fight before last in 2024, and a fight between ‘The Monster’ and Ball could soon be a matter of discussion.
Inoue’s last outing in the UK saw him pick up the IBF bantamweight world title on the undercard of Josh Taylor, who Harlem Eubank wants to fight next, vs Ivan Baranchyk.
“The quicker the fight’s made, the better”… Nick Ball wants Inoue fight and believes he can slay ‘The Monster’
Following his win over Doheny, which marks the 22nd win of his undefeated career, Ball was asked about the Inoue fight.
Ball said: “Everyone’s speaking about it, his name’s starting to do my head in to be honest so the quicker the fight’s made, the better.”
Inoue is set to face Ramon Cardenas in his next fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend, the same weekend that will also see Canelo, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and many more fight, and a win against Cardenas will set the Japanese fighter up for a Saudi debut in December.
The frontrunner was believed to be MJ Akhmadliev, who has only lost to Marlon Tapales, but it could well be Nick Ball instead.