Murodjon Akhmadaliev is done waiting. The former junior featherweight champion has sent a clear message to Naoya Inoue: either fight him or relinquish the title. After all, Akhmadaliev has been the WBA's mandatory challenger for a while, but despite that, he has remained on the sidelines, watching Inoue take on others instead.
"It’s a strange situation," Akhmadaliev expressed during a Zoom interview from Uzbekistan. "I’m the mandatory challenger, yet Inoue’s team seems to be avoiding me. I’ve told them I’m ready to fight anywhere, anytime, but they haven’t responded. If he’s not going to fight, he should vacate the belt. Canelo Alvarez got stripped by the IBF for ducking a mandatory, so why hasn’t Inoue faced the same consequences?"
Akhmadaliev isn’t shy about acknowledging Inoue’s greatness. He respects him as one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best, but Akhmadaliev also firmly believes he’s the man who can defeat "The Monster." Having felt that his controversial loss to Marlon Tapales in April 2023 should have gone his way, Akhmadaliev remains confident that he is still the true champion in the division and that a showdown with Inoue is the fight that needs to happen.
"I know I’m the best at 122 pounds," Akhmadaliev stated. "Everyone knows I can beat him. But if he’s going to avoid the fight, then just say it. Stop mentioning my name and pretending to want this fight. Either fight me or move on."
Akhmadaliev also reflected on his loss to Tapales, acknowledging that while he might have made some strategic adjustments, he still believes he deserved the victory. "I pushed the pace, landed the bigger shots, and was the aggressor. One judge gave me 10 rounds, and I was the defending champion. They messed up," he said, still frustrated by the split decision that ultimately denied him a chance at unification with Inoue.
Despite the setbacks, Akhmadaliev is staying focused. After stopping Kevin Gonzalez in December 2023, he has been training steadily, awaiting his opportunity. He insists that if Inoue continues to evade him, the WBA should strip the Japanese champion of the title. "I’ll be back in the ring by December, whether it’s against Inoue or for the vacant title. One way or another, I’ll get my belt back," Akhmadaliev said.
Image Credit: Sky Sports