Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight championship with a 12-round unanimous-decision victory over Junto Nakatani on Saturday night at the Tokyo Dome. The official judges' scores were 116-112 (twice) and 115-113, while The Guardian scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Inoue.
A Hard-Fought Battle
Inoue, known as 'The Monster,' faced a tough challenge from the younger, taller Nakatani, who rallied in the middle rounds. However, Inoue's experience and power proved decisive down the stretch. 'Thank you, everyone!' Inoue said after the fight. 'I would like to show some appreciation for Junto Nakatani for fighting me tonight. I wanted to show you guys that I would be the winner, and I did everything to get the win.'
Undercard Highlights
Earlier in the evening, Inoue's younger brother, Takuma Inoue, successfully defended his WBC bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Kazuto Ioka. Ioka, 37, was knocked down twice early but fought back, though the outcome was never in doubt. The official scores were 118-108, 119-107, and 120-106. In the co-main event, Yoshiki Takei defeated DeKang Wang by majority decision in an eight-round junior featherweight bout.
Historic Showdown
The fight was billed as the biggest in Japanese boxing history, with both fighters entering with identical 32-0 records. Inoue, the undisputed 122lb champion, has won titles at 108lb, 115lb, and bantamweight before unifying all four major belts at super-bantamweight. Nakatani, a three-division world champion, brought physical advantages in height and reach, but Inoue's speed and power prevailed.
The event drew a sold-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome during Golden Week, with many more watching in cinemas across Japan. Inoue has now made seven consecutive successful defenses of his four belts at super-bantamweight. When asked about his future, Inoue said, 'I think I need to rest for a little bit,' noting this was his fifth fight in the last 15 months.
