As expected, Junto Nakatani parted ways with his two bantamweight world titles in order to move up to junior featherweight and chase an eventual clash with Naoya Inoue in 2026.

And as expected, the WBC has ordered its two top-ranked contenders at 118lbs to vie for its now-vacant belt.

Nasukawa and Inoue didn’t wait for the WBC’s order to start talks. As BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan reported two weeks ago, both camps were already in advanced discussions for their fight, with the goal of holding it in November in Tokyo, Japan.

Nasukawa, 27, is a former kickboxing star in Japan who was initially known among boxing fans in the rest of the world for his exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2018. Nasukawa turned pro in earnest in 2023 and is now 7-0 (2 KOs). In his two fights this year, he outpointed former bantamweight titleholder Jason Moloney in February and the 14-1 Victor Santillian in June. Nasukawa is ranked No. 1 by the WBC.

Takuma Inoue, 20-2 (5 KOs), is ranked No. 2 by the WBC. The 29-year-old is a former world titleholder hoping for a second reign. He turned pro in 2013 and fell short in his first shot at the WBC title, losing a decision to Nordine Oubaali in 2018. In April 2023, Takuma outpointed Liborio Solis to pick up the WBA belt, one of four titles that had been left vacant after Naoya left for junior featherweight. 

Takuma made two successful defenses against former 115-pound titleholder Jerwin Ancajas (KO9) and Sho Ishida (UD12) before losing in his last appearance, a decision defeat to Seiya Tsutsumi in October 2024. 

Nakatani and Naoya Inoue are scheduled to appear in separate bouts on the same December 27 show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nakatani will face Sebastian Hernandez while Naoya will defend his undisputed championship against Alan David Picasso.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.