Japanese superstar and pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue attended a press conference the day after his stoppage win over TJ Doheny, “The Monster” halting an injured Doheny in the 7th round. Now, fans and media are asking Inoue two things: when will he fight again, and when will he fight countryman and fellow pound-for-pounder Junto Nakatani?
Inoue, 28-0(25) wants to stay busy, and as he expalined at the presser, he suffered zero damage in the Doheny fight. The word from Inoue’s Japanese promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, is that Inoue will next fight on either December 24th or December 26th. It is customary for a big boxing card to take place in Japan on New Year’s Eve (and this year, there will be a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez, which will headline on the big night). Japanese fight fans will get two big nights over the festive period this year.
Whether Inoue next boxes on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, it is likely to be against either Sam Goodman, who is Inoue’s WBO and IBF mandatory, or Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who is Inoue’s current WBA mandatory. Inoue has no preference and is open to fighting either man.
When asked about an all-Japanese super fight (perhaps the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history) between himself and Junto Nakatani, Inoue smiled and said Junto had to get past his brother first.
“I wish to go forward with my next fight in December,” Inoue said first. “I’ve had definitely no damage [in the Doheny fight]. Before he [Nakatani] moves up to fight me, he will have to fight my brother Takuma. That’s not easy because Takuma will be a very tough opponent and a thick wall for Nakatani.”
“The other Inoue,” Takuma, is the current WBA bantamweight champion and a talent in his own right. Not as massive a puncher as his brother, Takuma is nonetheless a good boxer, while he did surprise many of us in his fight this February, when he stopped Jerwin Ancajas. Last time out, in May, the WBA 118-pound champ decisioned Sho Ishida to lodge a second retention. If Takuma does fight Nakatani before “The Monster” does and loses to him, well, the super fight between Inoue and Nakatani would be ever bigger, with Inoue having the revenge motivation as well as the desire to prove who is the better fighter overall, pound-for-pound.
It’s shaping up as a massive Monster fight! But what if Takuma Inoue defeats Nakatani? It could happen. Right now, everything at 118 and 122 pounds is happening in Japan.
