Naoya Inoue continues to parade the super bantamweight division with a lucrative target on his back, with several contenders wishing to topple the undisputed king.
Since dethroning unified champion Stephen Fulton last year, Inoue has amassed all the jewelry at 122 lbs, becoming the bona fide ruler over boxing’s lower weight classes.
The 31-year-old comes off a routine defense against Irish veteran TJ Doheny, which followed his enthralling sixth-round stoppage victory over WBC mandatory challenger Luis Nery.
And now, the pound-for-pound star is set to defend his crown against IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman, despite Murodjon ‘MJ’ Akhmadaliev claiming that he should be next in line.
Murodjon Akhmadaliev insists that he should be facing Naoya Inoue next
Akhmadaliev made three defenses of his IBF and WBA super bantamweight titles after securing the trinkets with a comprehensive points win over Daniel Roman back in 2020.
But then, the Uzbekistani bruiser lost his prizes following last year’s fiercely-contested encounter with Marlon Tapales, who Inoue dismantled for the silverware shortly after.
Akhmadaliev, however, then became the WBA mandatory challenger for Inoue when he scored an eighth-round stoppage over Kevin Gonzalez last December.
And, seemingly, the 29-year-old is convinced that he should have earned his shot against the Japanese icon by now.
“I don’t know if [Inoue’s] scared, if it’s politics or whatever – but I don’t care,” Akhmadaliev told the Ring Magazine. “The only fight at 122 [lbs] that makes sense is versus me. So if Inoue doesn’t want to fight me, then vacate the title and stop calling my name.
“I won’t back down. We are going to push until the end to have the rules enforced. I don’t want to have to settle for the interim title.
“We want to fight Naoya Inoue for the real title. If he has a headache or whatever other excuse, then he can go be the interim champion.”
Should Naoya Inoue be fighting Murodjon Akhmadaliev instead of Sam Goodman?
ESPN boxing insider Mike Coppinger has reported that parties are now finalizing a deal for Inoue to collide with Goodman in Japan this Christmas Eve.
But while unbeaten Australian Goodman represents a formidable challenger, it would seem that he has leapfrogged Akhmadaliev to claim his golden opportunity.
As it happens, the WBA had ordered a showdown between Inoue and MJ earlier this year, as the pulverizing puncher was supposed to take care of his mandatory obligation after defeating Tapales.
However, the sanctioning body then allowed their champion to make a voluntary defense of his title against Doheny instead, leaving Akhmadaliev waiting patiently in the wings.