Inoue vs Nakatani LIVE!
Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani kicked off a bumper weekend of boxing in Tokyo on Saturday. A sold-out 55,000-capacity crowd at the Tokyo Dome watched arguably the biggest bout in Japanese history that saw two undefeated 32-0 superstars go head to head for the undisputed super-bantamweight world championship. It was one of the most hotly anticipated showdowns of the year and came before David Benavidez rises to challenge for Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez’s cruiserweight titles in Las Vegas, with Conah Walker and Sam Eggington also in action in the UK.
But the headline attraction was in East Asia, where Inoue successfully defended his four belts in the 122-pound division for the seventh time in a thrilling super fight. ‘The Monster’, one of the sport’s modern pound-for-pound greats and most formidable knockout kings, added another exceptional chapter to his remarkable legacy on home soil, handing a first professional loss to three-weight world champion Nakatani, who started too slowly and then saw his rousing comeback attempts halted by a nasty cut.
Naoya’s younger brother Takuma Inoue successfully defended his WBC bantamweight title for the first time with a dominant victory against Kazuto Ioka to begin the main card, while Yoshiki Takei beat DeKang Wang after Jin Sasaki defeated Sora Tanaka. Follow Inoue vs Nakatani reaction live below!
Inoue vs Nakatani results
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Naoya Inoue vs Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez?
A typically respectful and understated post-fight interview from Inoue, who thanks his fans and then appears to suggest that he will now be having a bit of a rest, having fought four times last year.
He doesn’t call anyone out for his next move.
It will be intriguing to see where he goes after this, with talk of a huge showdown with another pound-for-pound great in Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez somewhere down the line.
But Bam would have to move up again quickly to super-bantamweight, unless Inoue came back down from 122 pounds.
Bam is a two-weight world champion who will hope to make it three on his bantamweight debut against WBA champion Antonio Vargas in Arizona next month.
Another remarkable chapter in Inoue’s illustrious career as he stays unbeaten and undisputed and moves to 33-0 with a 29th consecutive world title fight victory.
If it wasn’t for Oleksandr Usyk, he would be the No1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, without question.
Two-weight undisputed, four-weight world champion. One of the all-time greats, no doubt.
It’s a first professional loss for Nakatani, who drops to 32-1 and doesn’t manage to become a four-weight world champion in his own right.
A great effort from Nakatani, but that nasty cut rather derailed his strong comeback attempts after too tame a start that ultimately cost him.
Could we see that again, perhaps?
Naoya Inoue beats Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision
Michael Buffer has the official scorecards...
116-112, 115-113, 116-112.
By four rounds, by two, by four - all in favour of Inoue, who is still the undisputed super-bantamweight champion of the world.
The right result.
Inoue vs Nakatani - Round 12
A pulsating final round as both men put on a show for this sold-out, 55,000-strong crowd.
Nakatani tries to finish strong, but that cut has definitely impacted him and Inoue knows exactly what he has to do to finish smartly and effectively.
A hell of an effort from Nakatani, but Inoue has surely won this on the cards and retained his undisputed super-bantamweight titles for the seventh time.
We await the official judges’ scorecards...
An electric 11th round from Inoue summed up by the stats...
Inoue vs Nakatani - Round 12
Both men are throwing caution to the wind and swinging away as we enter the final three minutes in Tokyo.
Is there last-gasp drama to come?
I think Inoue has done enough at the moment...
Inoue vs Nakatani - Round 11
Inoue needs a response here after a strong few rounds from Nakatani.
And he delivers it, significantly raising his aggression levels at a crucial time and letting the big shots fly in bunches.
The blood looks to be flowing directly into the eye of Nakatani from that nasty cut.
A massive, massive round from Inoue, who dominates and has the crowd on their feet with some trademark combinations from all angles.
Vintage Monster.
Inoue vs Nakatani - Round 10
Into the championship rounds and Nakatani is coming on really strong now, showing far greater confidence and ambition as he drills into Inoue with some powerful shots.
He is charging around the ring after Inoue, who is in defensive mode and covers up against the ropes before Nakatani is cut above his right eye by an accidental clash of heads.
It’s a nasty one and there is blood pouring out as the fight is temporarily halted.
The boxers retreat to neutral corners and the ringside doctor is called to assess the wound, which looks deep.
We’re quickly back underway and Nakatani continues to pile on the pressure despite that cut, smashing Inoue to the body and continuing to let his hands go.
Another clear round for Nakatani! How close is he with two rounds left?
Inoue vs Nakatani - Round 9
Inoue looks to keep the energy up at the start of the ninth, but then gets caught with Nakatani’s best combination of the fight so far.
The tempo has picked up a lot now from both men.
Inoue is an absolute marvel with how he is able to get his shots off from seemingly any angle.
Some superb work from Nakatani though on the inside and he finishes the round brilliantly, landing some solid shots including a thudding left uppercut.
Nakatani’s round.
Inoue vs Nakatani - Round 8
Inoue ups his levels in round eight, moving through the gears, stepping in and letting the shots fly.
He’s gliding in and out of range beautifully again, getting those sharp punches off before moving away from any danger.
A bit of showboating today from Inoue, now he backpedals all the way across the ring.
A strong end to the round from Nakatani as he catches Inoue and both fighters exchange smiles as the crowd applauds.