Inoue Overcomes A Resilient Nakatani To Retain His Undisputed Title

Naoya Inoue (33-0) retained his undisputed super-bantamweight title, surviving a late surge from fellow Japanese fighter Junto Nakatani (32-1) to secure a hard-fought unanimous decision win: 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112.

Inoue established control in the opening rounds, utilizing his jab and body work to neutralize Nakatani’s range. For much of the first half, Inoue’s superior speed and ring generalship made the taller Nakatani look hesitant. In the middle rounds, Nakatani finally found his rhythm. The challenger began landing left-hand counters that momentarily rattled the champion.

By the ninth and tenth rounds, the momentum had shifted completely. Inoue was forced onto his back foot, looking visibly uncomfortable as Nakatani unloaded blistering combinations. A clash of heads in the tenth round opened a severe cut over Nakatani’s left eye, halting his momentum. Inoue, sensing the opening, showed his skills. He found another gear in the 11th and 12th rounds, landing uppercuts and right hands to hand Nakatani his first loss.