Inoue Defeats Nakatani; Turki Says Bm May Be Next
By Eddie Sanchez
Naoya Inoue (33-0) retained his undisputed super-bantamweight title, and a spot in the top-three of the P4P list, surviving a late surge from fJunto Nakatani (32-1) to secure a hard-fought UD victory: 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112.
Inoue established control in the opening rounds, utilizing his jab and body work to neutralize Nakatani’s range. For much of the first half, Inoue’s superior speed and control of the ring made the taller Nakatani look hesitant. In the middle rounds, Nakatani finally found his rhythm, but Inoue had built a sizeable lead by then.
By the ninth and tenth rounds, the momentum had shifted completely. Inoue was forced onto his back foot, looking visibly uncomfortable as Nakatani unloaded fast combinations. A clash of heads in the tenth round opened a severe cut over Nakatani’s left eye, halting his momentum. Inoue, sensing the opening, showed his skills. He found another gear in the 11th and 12th rounds, landing uppercuts and right hands to overcome Nakatani and hand him his first loss.
Turki Alalshikh is Planning January Date for Inoue vs Bam
A super fight between Naoya Inoue and Bam Rodriguez is being planned by Turki Alalshikh for January in Japan, according to The Ring.
Turki plans to stage the event with the biggest fan capacity possible as he seeks a stadium to break the Japanese attendance record.
“If that fight was presented to me now, I’d definitely go and take it,” Rodriguez, 26, said on a recent episode of the Mr. Verzace Podcast. “I think me against Inoue would definitely be one of the biggest fights in the lower weight divisions.”
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