KNOCKOUT!!! Naoya Inoue (Japan) vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev (Uzbekistan) BOXING HIGHLIGHTS

Описание: Naoya Inoue saw off one challenger. Now he has two more in his sights.

Inoue retained his undisputed super bantamweight crown with a wide unanimous decision (117-111, 118-110, 118-110) victory over Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sunday morning at the IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

Inoue, Uncrowned's pound-for-pound No. 2 boxer, announced in the ring afterward that his next bout is already being planned for December in Saudi Arabia. It has been widely reported that Inoue will face David Picasso in the Riyadh Season main event of a Japan-vs.-The World card on Dec. 27 in Riyadh.

Inoue also called out fellow pound-for-pound star Junto Nakatani, who was ringside watching.

"One more fight, and then I'm going to get you, Nakatani," Inoue told his Japanese rival.

Uncrowned understands that an Inoue vs. Nakatani Japanese superfight is tentatively being planned for the spring of 2026 at the 50,000-plus capacity Tokyo Dome. Nakatani, a three-weight world champion, is expected to make his super bantamweight debut on the undercard of Inoue's December fight in Riyadh.

Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) had been knocked down in two of his past four fights prior to Sunday. The undefeated four-division champion has been accused of being defensively reckless in search of a knockout — albeit, his action style is the reason he is a mega-star in the first place. Against Akhmadaliev (14-2, 11 KOs), Inoue thoroughly answered those critics, delivering a boxing masterclass against the Uzbek mandatory challenger, whom some had accused "The Monster" of avoiding in recent years.

"We saw tonight what a complete fighter Inoue has become," Inoue's co-promoter Bob Arum said. "Not only a great puncher but [also] great strategy, great footwork. That's what the real all-time greats have, and Inoue demonstrated that tonight."

From the opening bell, it was clear Inoue was too fast for Akhmadaliev, as Inoue consistently beat "MJ" to the punch and his fast counters made Akhmadaliev hesitant to let his hands go in the early frames. The action lulled in the mid-rounds as Inoue hunted for body shots and straight punches, which seemingly could not miss due to Akhmadaliev's nonexistent head movement.

Akhmadaliev arguably won a few rounds in the second half of the contest, but Inoue never looked anything but comfortable — except for the final 15 seconds, where he appeared to have been wobbled momentarily by a right hook. Inoue, however, saw out the round to win clearly on the scorecards.

It was a defensively responsible showing from Inoue, who dominated the majority of rounds with boxing skill. Although it wasn't the most exciting performance of his career, it showed Inoue's versatility, and how he is not only a knockout artist, but a tremendous technician as well. To put it simply, it was one for the boxing purists.