Naoya Inoue has issued an emphatic response to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, insisting that he has no fear of Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
The pound-for-pound star will return to Tokyo, Japan, for his undisputed super bantamweight championship defense against WBO mandatory challenger Sam Goodman on January 24.
Their showdown was supposed to take place on Christmas Eve, until unbeaten contender Goodman suffered a nasty cut in sparring that forced his monumental opportunity to be postponed.
But while Naoya Inoue looks to extend his scintillating run against the Australian, WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev remains eager to take on the Japanese sensation.
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Eddie Hearn calls out Naoya Inoue following Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s victory over Ricardo Espinoza
Ahead of his clash with Goodman, Inoue’s following two outings are seemingly already in the process of being finalized.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum, his promoter, has expressed a desire to stage the 31-year-old’s fourth defense of his undisputed crown in the US, mentioning WBC mandatory challenger David Picasso as a potential opponent.
Then, in the summer of 2025, Inoue is expected to collide with bantamweight titlist Junto Nakatani in a colossal all-Japanese dustup.
But despite all of that, the 122 lb king will nonetheless have a mandatory obligation to fulfil, with Akhmadaliev clearly beginning to lose his patience.
‘MJ’ produced a destructive third-round stoppage over Ricardo Espinoza last night, retaining his number one spot with the WBA in Monaco.
And shortly after the Uzbek’s victory, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, doubled down on his comments that Inoue is ‘ducking’ the former unified super bantamweight champion.
Naoya Inoue remains focused on Sam Goodman
In response to Hearn, Inoue has confirmed that he has no fear of facing Akhmadaliev.
“Why do I have to run away from someone who lost to [Marlon] Tapales? There’s zero need for it,” Inoue wrote on X.
“If you want to fight, keep the ‘value’ of winning and wait! Now I’m fully focused on the Goodman fight.”
In order to have a voluntary defense against TJ Doheny earlier this year, Inoue was given an exemption by the WBA, allowing him to delay his ordered clash with Akhmadaliev.
But still, it would appear that the pulverizing puncher may be forced to take care of business against the 30-year-old should he wish to retain his black and gold strap.
At the same time, though, a career-defining battle with Nakatani is likely to trump any mandatory duties, transcending the prestige that comes with each alphabet title.