Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super bantamweight titles with a unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani after 12 rounds at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. The superfight drew a sell-out crowd of 55,000 in one of Japanese boxing's biggest bouts.
Naoya Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) outlasted Junto Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs) by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring 116-112 and one 115-113 in his favor after 12 rounds. The 33-year-old Inoue, nicknamed “The Monster” and hailed as Japan's greatest boxer, retained his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight belts before a sell-out crowd of 55,000 at Tokyo Dome.
Nakatani, a 28-year-old southpaw with a longer reach, kept Inoue's punches at bay early on but grew more aggressive after the sixth round. Inoue evaded with quick footwork, landing jabs in return. Nakatani sustained a cut above his left eye from an apparent accidental head clash and will be checked at a hospital. “I came prepared so there were no surprises, but the champion was great,” Nakatani said.
Inoue apologized for not delivering a knockout, saying, “He was a fighter with a strong heart. That’s what makes this win mean so much.” The bout showcased both fighters' dexterity in offense and defense.
On the undercard, Inoue's younger brother Takuma (22-2, 5 KOs) retained his WBC bantamweight title by unanimous decision over former four-division champion Kazuto Ioka (32-5-1, 17 KOs). “I really enjoyed the 12 exciting rounds, all thanks to my opponent, who is a legend,” Takuma said. “I want to prove I’m not just Naoya Inoue’s brother.”
