Naoya Inoue wins 116-112, 115-113, 116-112 in a fight billed as the biggest boxing match in Japanese history.
Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue has retained his undisputed super bantamweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Junto Nakatani after a gripping 12-round contest in Tokyo.
Inoue said he was “relieved” to beat Nakatani and stay unbeaten in front of 55,000 fans at a sold-out Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
The 33-year-old, famous as the Monster, extended his winning streak in world title bouts to 28 as judges scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 116-112 in his favour.
“It was different to the fights I’ve had before, with the pressure. So I’m relieved that I won,” Inoue said afterwards.
“I don’t know if tonight was a legendary night or not, but that’s coming soon.
“Tonight isn’t the end point of my boxing career, and there’s still time to create more legendary occasions.”
Both boxers entered the bout unbeaten at 32-0 in a contest billed as the biggest boxing match in Japanese history after Nakatani moved up a division late last year.
Inoue charged early before Nakatani appeared to close the gap in the latter half of the fight as the pace intensified, but a clash of heads late in the 10th round opened a cut above the challenger’s eye and stalled his momentum.
“Today I executed the plan that I’d been saying before the fight, to stay focused on winning, to make sure I was the one who came out as the winner,” Inoue said.
“As you all know, Nakatani is a mentally strong boxer. The fact that he is in the [top 10] pound-for-pound rankings makes this win worthwhile.”
The win improved Inoue’s overall record to 33 victories, with 27 knockouts (KOs).
Nakatani, who has held world titles in three different weight classes, was looking to catapult himself into the sport’s top echelons with a win.
Nicknamed “Big Bang”, the 28-year-old regularly features in The Ring magazine’s top 10 pound-for-pound rankings, which rate the world’s best boxers regardless of weight class.
He was fighting only his second bout at super bantamweight, and he used his longer reach to hold Inoue at bay early in the fight.
But he was powerless to prevent his opponent scoring with a series of pinpoint shots, before an accidental headbutt opened up a cut above his eye that troubled him late in the fight.
“I prepared for lots of different eventualities, so I wasn’t really surprised by the way he fought,” said Nakatani, who saw his record drop to 32-1, with 24 KOs.
“But he fought like a champion, and he’s a great boxer.”
The match was fought in an atmosphere of mutual respect, with both boxers exchanging smiles and fist bumps throughout.
Inoue was fighting at the Tokyo Dome for the second time, having beaten Mexico’s Luis Nery there in May 2024.
The area around the stadium was thronged with fans hours before the doors opened.
The atmosphere reached fever pitch when Inoue and Nakatani made their entrances for a landmark bout in Japanese boxing.
“The view I had from the ring was one that only I could savour, but it was thanks to the 55,000 people in the stadium that I was able to see it,” Inoue said.
“I will be back at the Tokyo Dome, so please let me savour this view again.”