Naoya Inoue Reveals Future Plans

Undisputed Super Bantamweight Champion Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) says he plans to compete twice more at 122 lbs before moving up to featherweight for his “final challenge.”

The first of those two bouts is the showdown against fellow Japanese fighter Junto Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) on May 2. Inoue explicitly stated he wants one more fight at super-bantamweight after Nakatani. While he didn’t name an opponent, rumors suggest a late-2026 defense against the winner of Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs. Luis Nery II or a clash with John Riel Casimero. Inoue expects to move to featherweight (126 lbs) in early 2027.

“I think featherweight will be my final challenge. After the Nakatani fight, and one other fight I’ve wanted to do, my last challenge will be in featherweight. I’m not going to move up right away, so I’d like to decide [a fight] with the [featherweight] champion at that time,” Inoue said