A complicated boxer and a heavy puncher from Mexico will be throwing punches and doing their best to throw a wrench into the plans to stage a Naoya Inoue-Junto Nakatani super-fight at the Tokyo Dome in May.
On Tuesday’s episode of ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today,” the subject was Saturday’s card in Saudi Arabia, where Japan’s four-division and undisputed junior-featherweight champion Inoue defends his belts against David Picasso, 32-0-1 (17 KOs), and three-division champion Nakatani makes his 122lbs debut versus Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez, 20-0 (18 KOs), on DAZN.
“One of my dream fights … but there are serious roadblocks,” analyst and former 140lbs champion Chris Algieri said. “Picasso is very talented and [Hernandez] is a big puncher.
“There’s no gimmes with these Japanese warriors. They don’t take tuneups. They are both taking serious fights again, and I am going to be grinding my teeth through both of them.”
While Inoue, 31-0 (27 KOs), is a prohibitive favorite over WBC No. 2-rated contender Picasso, the challenger is leaning into the “disrespect” he’s hearing of himself and the fact that this mega-bout versus Nakatani is looming – as if he doesn’t exist.
The fact is, said analyst and former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, that Inoue runs to fights that are “spicy,” overcoming a May knockdown to stop heavy handed Ramon Cardenas, then returned in September to defeat former unified champion Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev.
The uncertainty is whether the gifted Nakatani, 31-0 (24 KOs), will be threatened by the power of Hernandez given the anonymous stature of his opposition.
“We question who he has knocked out – a lot of records are padded in Mexico,” returning trainer of the year Robert Garcia said. “Still, it can be a big risk, but Nakatani takes those kinds of chances.”
Malignaggi said previously unknown Latin fighters like Ricardo Torres and Marcos Maidana also built up power numbers versus substantial competition before effectively stepping up in class against the likes of Miguel Cotto and Victor Ortiz.
“You really don’t know until these guys are in the ring,” Malignaggi said. “It’s kind of tricky with these guys – they might suck, or they might bash your brains in. It could be a war. You’ve got to keep these things in mind.”
Given that Inoue has been dropped in two of his past five junior-featherweight bouts and that Nakatani is moving up in weight against a slugger, Algieri said “both of them can get hit, although Nakatani hasn;t shown the vulnerabilities yet.”
While Picasso lacks experience in 12-round title fights, his abilities to maintain distance and take a punch will serve him well as the 25-year-old hopes to outwork Inoue, 32.
“As long as they both [Inoue and Nakatani] win, their fight is viable, but if one loses,” Malignaggi said.
“I’m nervous,” responded Algieri.
