Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani officially went face-to-face on Friday to confirm the biggest all-Japanese fight in the country’s boxing history. The unbeaten champions will headline a blockbuster event on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome, airing live on Lemino pay-per-view in Japan with yet no international broadcaster confirmed.
Inoue will defend his lineal, Ring and undisputed junior featherweight titles against Nakatani, who is moving up in weight with the aim of becoming a four-division world champion. The fight had long been expected and was formally confirmed during a press conference attended by both fighters and their teams.
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The undercard will feature another major all-Japanese showdown as WBC bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue faces former four-division world champion Kazuto Ioka. Takuma, the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, captured the WBC title last November with a decision win over Tenshin Nasukawa.
Ioka already holds the distinction of being the first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four divisions. A victory over Takuma Inoue would make him the first male boxer from Japan to win titles in five weight classes.
The Inoue-Nakatani clash comes after a year of growing anticipation. Both fighters first discussed the possibility of the fight during the 2024 Japanese Boxing Commission awards and again earlier this year when Inoue claimed his eighth straight Fighter of the Year honor.
Image Credit: The Ring