TOKYO, Japan – Takuma Inoue will attempt to steal the show from his brother Naoya this Saturday at the Tokyo Dome.
Inoue will be making the first defense of his WBC bantamweight title, after defeating Tenshin Nasukawa in November for the vacant strap. His brother may be competing in a mouthwatering all-Japanese clash at the top of the bill against Junto Nakatani, but Inoue will also have his hands full against a fellow countryman in the chief support.
Inoue will take on former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka in his maiden defense, and although the Japanese great may now be 37 years old, he is certainly still a threat. It looked like Ioka’s best years were behind him following back-to-back defeats to Fernando Martinez in 2024 and 2025, but Ioka bounced back with a knockout win over Maikel Ordosgoitti in December to secure his title shot.
Inoue will now have the opportunity to register the biggest win of his career.
"I had another good training session, just like in the last fight. My condition is good,” said Inoue. “I'm personally very excited about this fight. You never know until the match starts. I want lots of people to watch it. Watch on May 2nd to see how I defeat the legend. I want to have a match that will move people. What I want to prove is Takuma Inoue's strength and that I can beat Ioka."
