Murodjon Akhmadaliev believes the key to shocking Naoya Inoue lies in exploiting the rare mistakes the Japanese superstar has shown in recent outings. The Uzbek southpaw challenges Inoue this Sunday, September 14, at the IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan, with all four of the undisputed super-bantamweight champion’s titles on the line.
Inoue has long appeared untouchable, but recent fights offered a glimmer of hope to challengers. Luis Nery dropped him in May 2024, while Ramon Cardenas repeated the feat earlier this year before ultimately succumbing to Inoue’s power. For Akhmadaliev, the WBA’s mandatory challenger, those lapses provide a potential opening.
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith is backing his fighter’s chances. “Very confident,” Smith said. “It’s a brilliant fight against a spectacular fighter in Inoue, but we believe in MJ Akhmadaliev. He was written off after the Tapales fight, but he’s worked his way back and earned this shot. Inoue has shown vulnerabilities in recent fights, and MJ has the tools to take advantage.”
Akhmadaliev captured unified titles earlier in his career before losing a narrow split decision to Marlon Tapales. Since then, he has battled his way back into contention, patiently waiting for the WBA to enforce his mandatory opportunity. Now, with Inoue standing across the ring, he has the chance not only to reclaim championship gold but to make history as the man who dethroned “The Monster."
Get to know the full fight card of Inoue-Akhmadaliev.
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