Japanese megastar announces giant fight will be happening.
Depending on who you ask, Naoya Inoue might just be the best boxer in the world regardless of weight. If not, he’s usually listed as no worse than second place.
If you look at the record of the man from Zama, Kanagawa, Japan, you will quickly see why this is. Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) is one of the most dominant forces that exist in world-class boxing.
A four-weight world champion, Inoue has been undisputed at both bantamweight and super-bantamweight, the latter honour he still holds and successfully defended four times in 2025. For many, this activity warranted “Fighter of the Year” status.
But it’s not just his recent accomplishments that make ‘The Monster’ so brilliant. Since his 6th professional contest in 2014, every single fight Inoue has taken part in has had a major world title on the line. That means that in a 32-fight career, Inoue is 27-0 in title fights alone, with 23 of those wins coming by knockout.
More recently, Inoue has appeared more human, having been dropped by Luis Nery in 2024 and Ramon Cardenas in 2025. Many believed this to signal a decline in the Japanese phenomenon, but it should be noted that both times he was knocked down, Inoue got back up to win by stoppage.
Already considered by most to have surpassed the legendary Fighting Harada in being the best boxer from Japan, a title run up at featherweight is practically all that’s left to enhance Inoue’s already monumental legacy.
Though Japan does possess another pound-for-pound star currently, and he happens to fight in the same division as Inoue.
Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) would likely be the best active Japanese boxer were it not for Inoue. He himself has been a champion at three different weights, including being unified at bantamweight.
Last time out, both Inoue and Nakatani fought on the same card. Inoue was in the main event, and he made the fourth and last defence of his undisputed championship in 2025 with a comprehensive victory over the 32-0-1 David Picasso.
Nakatani, meanwhile, occupied the co-main event slot, and he didn’t have things as easily as his countryman.
Nakatani fought the 20-0 Sebastian Hernandez, a largely unknown Mexican with 18 knockouts on his record. While Nakatani started superbly, he was quickly drawn into the most rugged of contests with his free-swinging opponent.
Round after round, Hernandez upped the pressure, and Nakatani appeared more and more uncomfortable. He was still doing his share of work, but nowhere near to what he had been doing at the start of the fight.
By fight’s end, Nakatani’s right eye was little more than a swollen mass of flesh, and more than a few thought he had lost the contest.
Alas, Nakatani was given the decision, one which was fiercely debated by those who favoured Hernandez’s relentless activity. But nonetheless, Nakatani had won his super-bantamweight debut in what was an incredible fight.
All eyes were on only one man next: Naoya Inoue.
A fight between Inoue and Nakatani has been on people’s minds for a while. Now that both are in the same weight class, it only makes sense for them to get it on.
Well, Inoue himself has now confirmed that the fight will be happening. At the 2025 Japan Boxing Awards yesterday, Inoue spoke after being named “Japan’s Boxer of the Year”.
“In May of this year, at the Tokyo Dome, I will have a serious clash with Junto Nakatani”, said Inoue.
Inoue-Nakatani will undoubtedly be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. The two undefeated multi-weight champions have almost identical records, being a combined 64-0 with 51 KOs.
Inoue last fought at the Tokyo Dome for his previously mentioned contest with Nery, the first boxing match to take place at the venue since Mike Tyson’s seismic upset loss to Buster Douglas in 1990.
On the occasion of Inoue’s headline event at the Tokyo Dome, 55,000 fans showed up to watch him. This was one of the largest number of attendees at a Japanese boxing event.
With that in mind, Inoue’s collision with Nakatani is bound to do gangbusters, and no boxing fan in the world will want this mammoth contest to slip them by.
Naoya Inoue confirmed his fight with Junto Nakatani for May at the Tokyo Dome during the 2025 Japan Boxing Awards đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/6azGWMossO
— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) February 19, 2026
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