Naoya Inoue is prepared to honor the request made by his countryman.
Junto Nakatani humbly furthered the cause for an all-Japan superfight with the undisputed 122lbs champion with a callout after his latest victory. The unbeaten southpaw unified the WBC and IBF bantamweight titles with a technical knockout of Ryosuke Nishida after six rounds Sunday at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan.
While he entered the fight with a desire to become undisputed king at the weight, Nakatani, 31-0 (24 KOs), is now prepared to make a run at becoming a four-division champ.
“I am coming, so please stick around for me,” Nakatani said in comments translated by Mizuka Koike when asked about Inoue, who was seated ringside.
The immediate reaction was a favorable one.
“Welcome to the super bantamweight division,” Inoue posted on social media, referencing Nakatani’s forthcoming move up in weight. “It would be exciting to see such a strong Japanese fighter.”
Inoue, 30-0 (27 KOs), and Nakatani previously teased a showdown when both were honored at the annual Japanese Boxing Commission awards ceremony earlier this spring. It was acknowledged at the time that such a fight likely won’t take place until 2026.
Nakatani is already prepared to abandon his freshly unified title reign to acclimate to the 122lbs division. He is a perfect 10-0 in title fights at flyweight, junior bantamweight and bantamweight but the 5’8” southpaw from Sagamihara has plenty of room to pack on at least four pounds.
Such a move would end a bantamweight title reign which dates back to his sixth-round knockout of Alexandro Santiago last February 24 in Tokyo. Sunday’s win marked his fifth win at the weight, all inside the distance and none which have extended beyond the sixth round.
Inoue is prepared to fight for the third time this year. BoxingScene’s number-three pound-for-pound entrant will defend his undisputed 122lbs championship against interim WBA beltholder and former unified WBA/IBF titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev. Their bout will take place on September 14 at a yet-to-be-confirmed location in Japan.
There is a chance that Inoue could fight for a fourth time in the year, or else just return early in 2026. Earlier rumors suggested a run at a featherweight title, though Inoue recently reiterated that he is still comfortable at junior featherweight, where he is coming up on the two-year anniversary of his July 2023 WBC/WBO title-winning knockout win over Stephen Fulton.
Should Nakatani stay put at bantamweight for even one more fight, there remains an overdue mandatory against Mexico’s Jose Salas. However, all indications suggest he is ready to test the waters four pounds north.