Top Rank boss Bob Arum looks to deliver a monumental showdown for pound-for-pound star and super bantamweight king Naoya Inoue.
The formidable undisputed champion comes off a scintillating performance over seasoned veteran TJ Doheny, dispatching his opponent in typically destructive fashion to claim a seventh-round stoppage.
Prior to that, Inoue packed out the Tokyo Dome in Japan with more than 50 thousand fans, all gaping in awe as he demolished former world champion Luis Nery.
But now, the 31-year-old’s promoter hopes to bring his biggest fight yet into existence, with WBC world bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani waiting patiently in the wings.
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Naoya Inoue is set to face Junto Nakatani in 2025
Inoue and Nakatani – two of Japan’s most captivating champions – have been on a collision course for the best part of a year.
Many believe that Nakatani represents Inoue’s most dangerous assignment, with the 26-year-old coming off four stoppages in his last five outings.
More than that, the unbeaten southpaw is one of the only fighters in the lower divisions who can match Inoue’s technical prowess, always displaying a tight defense along with his ruthless killer instinct.
But still, Inoue must get past his IBF mandatory challenger, Sam Goodman, before taking on the fearsome bantamweight.
“We’re working on [the Inoue vs Nakatani fight],” Arum told Boxing News. “Hopefully, they both keep winning. And it will be the biggest fight in the history of boxing in Japan.
“The hope is Inoue fights in December and then we bring him over to the United States in April, maybe on the same card as Nakatani. And then have them fight each other in the Tokyo Dome in the biggest fight in the history of Japan.”
Naoya Inoue to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev before Junto Nakatani
While fans are all holding their breath in anticipation for his eagerly awaited clash with Nakatani, Inoue may still have to take care of business after the Goodman fight.
Unbeaten Australian Goodman, of course, is no pushover either, with the super bantamweight contender looking set to challenge for the undisputed crown on December 24.
And yet, should he get past his IBF mandatory, Inoue is likely to face his WBA mandatory challenger, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, in April.
Akhmadaliev, after all, has been demanding a fight with the pulverizing puncher, and will certainly look to scupper his potential career-defining battle with Nakatani.