Moments after witnessing his fighter despatch yet another victim, promoter Bob Arum was all smiles as he spoke to the audience inside the sold-out Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Arum took the mic and spoke about what will come next for the 31-year-old undisputed super-bantamweight king. As expected, Arum stated that Inoue’s next fight will take place in Las Vegas, while Inoue himself said he will also fight in Saudi Arabia this year.
Inoue, who barely broke a sweat in knocking out a game but over-matched and outclassed Ye Joon Kim inside four rounds to improve to 29-0(26), signed a deal with Riyadh Season a short while ago, and fans are very interested to see who he may fight, perhaps on one of the stacked cards we have grown accustomed to watching in Saudi Arabia.
First up, it will be Vegas, most likely against unbeaten but somewhat unknown Mexican fighter Alan David Picasso. But after that, who knows?
“I just want to say another great performance by our champion here,” Arum said to the crowd, celebrating Inoue’s latest KO win. “And at least for one fight, the great country of Japan will give this great Inoue to the city of Las Vegas for one fight this spring.”
Inoue himself spoke about how excited he is to be set to take his “Monster” show on the road to foreign countries here in 2025.
“Yes, 2025 will be the year for me to go to overseas countries to have a fight,” Inoue said. “So in spring of 2025, I’ll be going to Las Vegas to show you the great match. I am planning to fight in Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia this year. So please give me big applause and welcome me everywhere I go.”
The way he fights, in simply electrifying style, Inoue has no need to worry about being given applause. Inoue is, in the opinion of some, a flawless, perfect fighter. Inoue can do it all, and what he needs now, what we all want to see now, is Inoue tested hard. But who at 122 pounds, and possibly beyond, is up to the task? Picasso will perhaps enter the ring as big an underdog as Kim was today, while fellow Japanese star Junto Nakatani, who could face Inoue in a massive all-Japanese fight this year, would also be the outsider.
That fight looks likely for Japan, though, so who might Inoue fight on a big card in Riyadh? Murodjon Akhmadaliev is insistent that Inoue is ducking him, so this fight may be one Turki Alalshikh tries to make, simply because “MJ” is the last hurdle Inoue has to get over to thoroughly clean out the 122-pound division. After that, assuming Inoue beats Nakatani and Akhmadaliev if these fights do happen, it could be that oft-talked about (by the fans mostly) move to featherweight.
