Naoya Inoue offered a bout at Wembley, looking to fight in September and December
This past Monday we saw Unified Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24) [井上尚弥] thrill fans around the world with his action packed win over hard hitting Mexican challenger Luis Nery (35-2, 27), in a bout that saw Inoue dropped in the first round and Nery being dropped 3 times. The bout, at the Tokyo Dome, was a huge event and saw boxing return to the “Big Egg” for the first time in 34 years, and saw Japan become the focal point for a day.
Following his win Inoue was joined in the ring by unbeaten Australian fighter Sam Goodman (18-0, 8), who will be the IBF mandatory for Inoue. For much of the last few months there had been talk about that bout potentially taking place in Australia, where the 100,000 seater Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was rumoured to be a potential venue for the bout. If the bout does take place Inoue would be one of the very, very few world champions to have fought in 4 continents (Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania), though the MCG is certainly not the only venue in the running to host the bout.
As well as the MCG there is, obviously, also the Tokyo Dome again, which would see Inoue matching Mike Tyson by headlining two shows at the legendary venue, and there is also Wembley.
According to Japanese site Sanspo, which is a reliable site owned by Sankei Shimbun, which it's self has a majority holding by Fuji Media Holdings (more about them later), Inoue has been offered the chance to face Goodman in September at the 90,000 capacity Wembley as part of a Riyadh Season event. The rumour is that Inoue wouldn’t headline this card, but would be featured as one of the main supporting bouts or co-feature to British Heavyweight star Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25).
The article, on Sanspo, suggests that multiple sources have stated the offer, from Turki Alalshikh, is on the table and could see Inoue earn as much as $10,000,000 (1.535 billion Yen) for the event.
The article also mentioned that Inoue’s team is also looking at staging a fight at the Es Con Field Hokkaido, which has a 35,000 seat capacity, and is the home of the popular NPB team Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. It also explains that Inoue is looking to fight in both September and December, and it’s fair to say that a December would be most likely in Japan, perhaps at the Es Con Field Hokkaido, whilst the September bout could well be available for the best offer from an international venue.
Before we finish, it does need stating once again, this is said to be one of a number of venues on the table for Inoue, and it's fair to say that he and his team will weigh them up and decide which is the most attractive option.
What makes this particularly plausible, given the source, is that Fuji Media Holdings (the majority owner of the owner of Sanspo), are likely to have a good relationship with those close to Inoue and his team, after being the main broadcaster for many of Inoue’s early career bouts.
For those wanting to read the Sanspo article it’s available here in Japanese.
Following his win Inoue was joined in the ring by unbeaten Australian fighter Sam Goodman (18-0, 8), who will be the IBF mandatory for Inoue. For much of the last few months there had been talk about that bout potentially taking place in Australia, where the 100,000 seater Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was rumoured to be a potential venue for the bout. If the bout does take place Inoue would be one of the very, very few world champions to have fought in 4 continents (Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania), though the MCG is certainly not the only venue in the running to host the bout.
As well as the MCG there is, obviously, also the Tokyo Dome again, which would see Inoue matching Mike Tyson by headlining two shows at the legendary venue, and there is also Wembley.
According to Japanese site Sanspo, which is a reliable site owned by Sankei Shimbun, which it's self has a majority holding by Fuji Media Holdings (more about them later), Inoue has been offered the chance to face Goodman in September at the 90,000 capacity Wembley as part of a Riyadh Season event. The rumour is that Inoue wouldn’t headline this card, but would be featured as one of the main supporting bouts or co-feature to British Heavyweight star Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25).
The article, on Sanspo, suggests that multiple sources have stated the offer, from Turki Alalshikh, is on the table and could see Inoue earn as much as $10,000,000 (1.535 billion Yen) for the event.
The article also mentioned that Inoue’s team is also looking at staging a fight at the Es Con Field Hokkaido, which has a 35,000 seat capacity, and is the home of the popular NPB team Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. It also explains that Inoue is looking to fight in both September and December, and it’s fair to say that a December would be most likely in Japan, perhaps at the Es Con Field Hokkaido, whilst the September bout could well be available for the best offer from an international venue.
Before we finish, it does need stating once again, this is said to be one of a number of venues on the table for Inoue, and it's fair to say that he and his team will weigh them up and decide which is the most attractive option.
What makes this particularly plausible, given the source, is that Fuji Media Holdings (the majority owner of the owner of Sanspo), are likely to have a good relationship with those close to Inoue and his team, after being the main broadcaster for many of Inoue’s early career bouts.
For those wanting to read the Sanspo article it’s available here in Japanese.