Naoya was named Japan's best boxer for the seventh consecutive time.
Naoya Inoue. Photo – Getty Images
Two Japanese boxers, the absolute world champion in the super bantamweight division Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) and the WBC title holder in the bantamweight division Yunto Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) have agreed to fight next year.
Naoya and Yunto met in Tokyo at the annual awards ceremony for Japan's best boxers. Inoue was named the country's best male boxer for the seventh time in a row and eighth overall. Nakatani also received an award for technique and knockouts.
Inoue said during a public event:
“I want to do my best this year for the big home match that many fans and people around the sport have been talking about. Mr. Nakatani, one year later at the Tokyo Dome, let's raise the spirit of Japanese boxing together.”
To this the WBC champion responded with consent. The boxers shook hands.
Let us recall that Inoue has officially agreed on his next fight – it will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 4, his opponent will be American Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 KO), No. 2 in the WBA rankings.
If Naoya wins, he will face interim WBA bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) on September 14 in Tokyo, with the venue to be selected later.
Naoya's most recent fight was against South Korean boxer Yee-yun Kim in January. The undefeated Japanese knocked out his opponent in the fourth round.
Inoue is ranked second in the new edition of the world's best boxers regardless of weight category (P4P) by the authoritative magazine The Ring. The list is headed by Ukrainian WBO/WBA/IBO/WBC heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
At the end of February this year, Nakatani defended his championship title for the third time in a row, winning a confident victory over Mexican David Cuellar.