Inoue hints at future Nakatani bout - but not next; Inoue's next bout to be announced on October 24th
Over the last year or so we’ve seen growing interest in a potential all-Japanese showdown between two of the country's biggest stars. It now seems that interest could well be moving to become a genuine reality with one of the two men making public comments on the potential showdown, and essentially welcoming it as a future bout that he’s interested in.
The bout in question is a contest between undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25) [井上尚弥] and current WBC Bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22) [中谷 潤人] .
During a recording for WOWOW in Japan, where Inoue spoke about his recent win over TJ Doheny (26-5, 19), he revealed his current plans, and how they now relate to Nakatani.
Inoue explained that his plan for 2025 was to fight 3 times with at leats one international bout, explaining "I'd like to have three matches if possible next year, which will probably include matches overseas."
When asked "Will you move up to the featherweight division the year after next?" His response was more interesting, explaining "I don't know yet. There is a young man who wants to be number one in the pound-for-pound (PFP) rankings, so I guess I'll just have to wait for him to move up." He then added "If the fans have high expectations, I have no choice but to say it out loud. If (Nakatani) wants to be number one in the PFP rankings, that's the only way."
Despite Nakatani being on Inoue’s radar, the expectation is that the fight is still some way off. With Inoue praising Nakatani’s last performance "I thought he was really strong. That's why I've become interested in him.” before adding "I have opponents to face next and the one after that, so I don't think about (Nakatani) during training."
It seems the immediate plans for Inoue are a December defense against Sam Goodman (19-0, 8) and then a defense early in the new year against Uzbekistani fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9) [Ахмадалиев, Муроджон Кахарович], who Inoue stated "He lost to Tapales, but if he really gets into shape, he's strong,"
One other fighter Inoue mentioned was John Riel Casimero (34-4-1, 23), with Inoue stating "He's got the skills, but (overweight) is one of the reasons why Chairman Ohashi (Hideyuki Ohashi) said he can't arrange a fight." With the comment referring to Ohashi stating he wouldn't work with Casimero after the Filipino missed weight for a recent bout with American fighter Saul Sanchez (21-4, 12).
Notably Inoue has a planned press conference set for October 24th, when it's expected we'll see the announcement of his bout with Sam Goodman, which has long been rumoured as being set for December 24th, with the card in question expected to be a stacked Ohashi card, with Inoue headlining and at least one other world title fight expected to feature.
The bout in question is a contest between undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25) [井上尚弥] and current WBC Bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22) [中谷 潤人] .
During a recording for WOWOW in Japan, where Inoue spoke about his recent win over TJ Doheny (26-5, 19), he revealed his current plans, and how they now relate to Nakatani.
Inoue explained that his plan for 2025 was to fight 3 times with at leats one international bout, explaining "I'd like to have three matches if possible next year, which will probably include matches overseas."
When asked "Will you move up to the featherweight division the year after next?" His response was more interesting, explaining "I don't know yet. There is a young man who wants to be number one in the pound-for-pound (PFP) rankings, so I guess I'll just have to wait for him to move up." He then added "If the fans have high expectations, I have no choice but to say it out loud. If (Nakatani) wants to be number one in the PFP rankings, that's the only way."
Despite Nakatani being on Inoue’s radar, the expectation is that the fight is still some way off. With Inoue praising Nakatani’s last performance "I thought he was really strong. That's why I've become interested in him.” before adding "I have opponents to face next and the one after that, so I don't think about (Nakatani) during training."
It seems the immediate plans for Inoue are a December defense against Sam Goodman (19-0, 8) and then a defense early in the new year against Uzbekistani fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9) [Ахмадалиев, Муроджон Кахарович], who Inoue stated "He lost to Tapales, but if he really gets into shape, he's strong,"
One other fighter Inoue mentioned was John Riel Casimero (34-4-1, 23), with Inoue stating "He's got the skills, but (overweight) is one of the reasons why Chairman Ohashi (Hideyuki Ohashi) said he can't arrange a fight." With the comment referring to Ohashi stating he wouldn't work with Casimero after the Filipino missed weight for a recent bout with American fighter Saul Sanchez (21-4, 12).
Notably Inoue has a planned press conference set for October 24th, when it's expected we'll see the announcement of his bout with Sam Goodman, which has long been rumoured as being set for December 24th, with the card in question expected to be a stacked Ohashi card, with Inoue headlining and at least one other world title fight expected to feature.