Naoya Inoue-Junto Nakatani would be ‘biggest fight in Japanese history’

HAMBURG, Germany – Naoya Inoue, one of the finest fighters in the world, is preparing for his December 24 bout with Australian Sam Goodman, and hoping to sign off with his third win of the year.

Having already stopped Luis Nery and TJ Doheny, in six and seven rounds, respectively, Inoue – the undisputed junior featherweight champion – is showing no signs of slowing down.

And as impressive as his run to 28-0 (25 KOs) has been, there is a defining fight waiting for him in 2025, but he must first overcome Goodman, and then possibly David Picasso in the US. Then, however, could come a blockbuster fight with countryman Junto Nakatani, who is 29-0 (22 KOs) and the current WBC bantamweight titleholder.

“Inoue’s got Christmas Eve, but the plans are still to try to bring him to the States in the spring,” said vice president of operations for Top Rank, Carl Moretti, who works with Honda and Ohashi Promotions. “But that’s a lot of work that’s being worked on right now.

“And then possibly Nakatani in the summer, in the Tokyo Dome in Japan, which would be absolutely unbelievable.

“That would be a lot of Honda and Ohashi, but everyone seems to want that fight over there – and it would be the biggest fight in Japanese history.”