Naoya Inoue faces what many good judges expect to be the toughest test of his undisputed super bantamweight reign against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
After his Las Vegas excursion against Ramon Cardenas last time out, Japanese hero Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs)Â is back on home soil at Nagoya’s IG Arena.
That fight ended in an 11th consecutive stoppage for the lethal knockout artist, but not before he had been down heavily himself in round two.
Luis Nery also decked ‘The Monster’ in a thrilling May 2025 firefight and Rio Olympic bronze medalist Akhmadaliev, who has claimed 11 of his 14 professional wins inside the distance, will fancy his chances of springing the upset.
On the undercard, one of Inoue’s compatriots is in world title action, while domestic honours are also on the line.
Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev undercard
Here’s a breakdown of all the action on the Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev card.
Yoshiki Takei vs. Christian MedinaDivision/Weight: BantamweightTakei record: 11-0Medina record: 25-4Belts at stake: WBO Bantamweight title
Takei makes the fourth defence of the WBO bantamweight title he won with a unanimous decision triumph over Australia’s Jason Moloney on the Inoue vs. Nery undercard.
The 29-year-old is a familiar fixture on Inoue bills and edged perennial nearly-man Daigo Higa before Inoue beat TJ Doheny.
Moloney and Higa are the only Takei opponents to hear the final bell, and he took out Yuttapong Tongdee inside a round in his previous fight. Medina is coming into this one on a run of four consecutive stoppages and looks ready to fight fire with fire.
Yuni Takada vs. Ryusei MatsumotoDivision/Weight: MinimumweightTakada record: 16-8-3Matsumoto record: 6-0Belts at stake: WBA ‘Regular’ Minimumweight title
Takada is enjoying a stunning career turnaround. Having suffered four of his eight defeats by knockout, the 27-year-old has hit a rich run of form. A split-decision win over Goki Kobayashi on the Inoue vs. Ye Joon Kim undercard was his eighth consecutive victory.
The Kobayashi fight earned Takada a regional WBO title and he now gets a shot at the organisation’s vacant ‘regular’ championship.
Matsumoto is the same age as his opponent, has similarly vacated the Japanese minimumweight title and has won four of his six pro fights by KO.
Yudai Murakami vs. Taiga ImanagaDivision/Weight: LightweightMurakami record: 6-2-1Imanaga record: 8-0Belts at stake: Japanese Lightweight title
The vacant national 135-pound title is on the line. Murakami hopes it’s a case of third-time lucky, having lost a 10-round decision to Shuma Nakazato in December 2023 before boxing to a unanimous draw in their rematch four months ago.
Imanaga has not put a foot wrong as a professional so far, but this will be his first time boxing above the eight-round distance.
Toshiki Shimomachi vs. Han Sol LeeDivision/Weight: Super BantamweightShimomachi record: 21-1-3Lee record: 9-7Belts at stake: N/A
Finally, Toshiki Shimomachi faces Han Sol Lee.
Unbeaten since a split-decision loss in his third pro fight back in 2016, Shimomachi is in a keep-busy contest.
Lee has lost five of his past six bouts and was stopped for the third time in his career in his most recent contest.
Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev tune-in infoDate: Sunday, September 14Location: IG Arena — Nagoya, JapanTime: 4:15 a.m. ET | 1:15 a.m. PT | 9:15 a.m. BST | 8:15 p.m. AEST Main event start time (approx.): 6:40 a.m. ET | 3:40 a.m. PT | 11:40 a.m. BST | 9:40 p.m. AESTHow to watch: Facebook
Promoter Top Rank is streaming the fight free of charge in the UK and the US on its Facebook channel