It appears that the long-awaited Naoya Inoue-Junto Nakatani super-fight is closer than ever to gracing the boxing calendar after spending all year on a collision course.
BoxingScene has confirmed that the titanic clash between Japan’s two best boxers is targeted to take place on May 2 at the famed Tokyo Dome. Inoue will risk his undisputed 122lbs championship, while Nakatani aims to join his countryman among the short list of the nation’s four-division titlists.
Additionally, BoxingScene has learned that the event could carry at least three major title fights.
The matchup has remained the worst-kept secret in the sport, even though industry reporting on when it will actually take place has been sloppy, at best.
Multiple outlets reported that the fight would take place on May 5, running with the literal quote from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman’s “Cinco de Mayo” timeline for the event. The phrase was meant as the clash taking place on the weekend surrounding the holiday.
Tokyo Dome is booked up from May 3-6. The 55,000-seat venue is hosting a three-day Nippon Professional Baseball (NBP) series from May 4-6 between the storied Yomuiri Giants and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. May 3 is reserved for the opening game of Japan’s X-League gridiron football season.
That said, the sport as a whole has waited with anticipation ever since the pair of undefeated pound-for-pound entrants spoke it into existence last year. Inoue, 32-0 (27 KOs), and Nakatani, 32-0 (24 KOs), were both double award winners during the 2024 Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) awards. Upon meeting on stage, Inoue had a message for his southpaw rival.
“It turned out to be a special year. I want to make this year even better,” said Inoue at the time. “I want to do the best I can this year for the big domestic match that lots of fans and people around the sport have been talking about.
“Mr. Nakatani, a year later at Tokyo Dome, let's lift the mood around Japanese boxing together.”
As the fight was one long sought by Nakatani, the callout was music to his ears.
“Sure, let’s do it,” Nakatani immediately replied.
Inoue certainly held up his end in an active 2025 campaign. He made four successful championship defenses during the year. His 12-month run was the busiest of any male lineal champion since Brian Mitchell’s 1987 campaign, when four of his five fights on the year came with the lineal and WBA 130lbs crown on the line.
Nakatani’s 2025 campaign jumped out to a strong enough start where he was the mid-year leader for BoxingScene’s Fighter of the Year race. He earned stoppage wins over David Cuellar and unbeaten countryman Ryosuke Nishida, the latter of which saw Nakatani unify the WBC and IBF 118lbs titles in just the fourth-ever unification bout between reigning titlists from Japan.
The win over Nishida was also Nakatani’s final fight at bantamweight, where he won the WBC belt in February 2024 and scored knockout wins in each of his five fights at the weight.
Shortly thereafter, Nakatani took the most significant step towards making the Inoue fight a reality, when he declared that he was set to campaign in the 122lbs division.
There wasn’t a happier recipient of the news than Inoue.
“Welcome to the super bantamweight division,” Inoue exclaimed immediately after Nakatani’s win over Nishida and subsequent announcement.
Inoue has fought twice since then, scoring lopsided decision victories over former unified titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev and unbeaten contender Alan David Picasso.
The win over Picasso took place as part of Riyadh Season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inoue has been sponsored by the series since late 2024 and headlined a December 27 show loaded with Japanese talent – including Nakatani, though his 122lbs debut wasn’t exactly smooth.
Nakatani overcame a spirited and physical challenge from unbeaten Sebastian Hernandez to prevail via unanimous – though publicly disputed – decision.
Matching scores of 115-113 were within the general view, among those who agreed with the verdict). However, the 118-110 card turned in by Saudi Arabia’s Nawaf Almohaimeed is now the subject of an investigation as reported on site by Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger.
In addition to the major scare, Nakatani’s right eye was swollen shut during their non-title fight.
Nevertheless, both he and Inoue left with their unbeaten records still intact and with a superfight very much in tow.
