Naoya Inoue has a date with WBA interim champ Murodjon Akhmadaliev should he emerge victorious this weekend
Eddie Hearn announced on Twitter this morning that undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue’s long-brewing mandatory clash with former unified titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev is a “[d]one deal,” with Jake Donovan adding that it will land on its expected date of September 14th.
Hearn goes on to call it the “[b]est fight in the division,” and so long as you’re talking about active super bantamweights, he might not be wrong. Though his 2023 upset loss to Marlon Tapales dimmed his star, “MJ” (13-1, 10 KO) remains a top-notch operator, packing real power and some of the most unique, effective footwork in the lower weight classes.
He’s also Inoue’s (29-0, 26 KO) only outstanding mandatory challenger after Sam Goodman (IBF) injured himself twice and Alan Picasso (WBC) gave an abrupt “no gracias,” leaving “The Monster” to battle Ramon Cardenas this coming Sunday. I generally side-eye promoters who announce future bouts when one of the participants already has an opponent in front of him, but I’m not sure there’s any amount of karmic backlash that can stop Inoue from reaching September unscathed.
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