{"id":644770,"date":"2026-05-02T11:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T11:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/644770\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T11:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T11:10:17","slug":"naoya-inoue-vs-junto-nakatani-live-result-updates-highlights-as-japanese-superstars-meet-in-undisputed-mega-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/644770\/","title":{"rendered":"Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani live result, updates, highlights as Japanese superstars meet in undisputed mega-fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

JUMP TO:<\/p>\n

Naoya Inoue faces potentially the greatest challenge of his incredible career when he takes on fellow Japanese superstar Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday.<\/p>\n

A sold-out crowd of 55,000 will watch four-weight champion Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) make the seventh defence of his undisputed super bantamweight crown.<\/p>\n

Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) is a three-weight champion himself and will box at the 122-pound limit for the second time against a pound-for-pound superstar, who has blazed a trail for this generation of Japanese boxers.<\/p>\n

Will the king retain his throne, or will the crown be passed on to a man five years his junior?<\/p>\n

In the chief support bout, Inoue’s brother Takuma Inoue defends the WBC bantamweight title \u2013 formerly held by Nakatani \u2013 against veteran hero Kazuto Ioka.<\/p>\n

The Sporting News is providing live coverage and results from the Inoue vs. Nakatani card and round-by-round coverage of the main event.<\/p>\n

Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani resultsNaoya Inoue (c) vs. Junto Nakatani for the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titlesTakuma Inoue (c) vs. Kazuto Ioka for the WBC bantamweight titleYoshiki Takei vs. Dekang Wang; Super BantamweightsJin Sasaki def. Sora Tanaka (SD 10); WelterweightsToshiki Shimomachi def. Reiya Abe (MD 10); FeatherweightsKosuke Tomioka drew w\/\u00a0Shogo Tanaka (SD 10); FlyweightsYuito Moriwaki def. Deok No Yun (SD 10); Super MiddleweightsNaoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani live fight updates, highlights from 2025 boxing card<\/p>\n

6:50 a.m. ET\/ 11:50 a.m. BST:\u00a0This bout has WBC open scoring, which is announced in the arena after the fourth and eighth rounds. Two judges saw it 39-35 to Inoue, with those two knockdowns, while the other had it a 40-34 shutout a third of the way through the scheduled distance. That was a touch harsh on Ioka, who recovered well to win the fourth, although Inoue got back to his smooth, authoritative boxing to dominate the fifth.<\/p>\n

6:44 a.m. ET\/ 11:44 a.m. BST:\u00a0Inoue has started beautifully behind the jab against the smaller man so far\u00a0and down goes Ioka in the second!\u00a0Inoue, who is not a noted power-puncher like his brother, steadied Ioka with an overhand right and another backhand put the challenger on the canvas at the end of a follow-up volley. Ioka now down with an uppercut in the third!\u00a0Inoue on the brink, with two minutes left in the round. Inoue’s speed and timing are on point, his right uppercut looking sharp. Ioka’s experience gets him to the end of the session but how much has he got left?<\/p>\n

A \ud835\udc25\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc25 Inoue uppercut floors Ioka again! \ud83d\udcaa#InoueNakatani<\/a> | Live now on DAZN \u25aa\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/DQL58hVQ3x<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

6:20 a.m. ET\/ 11:20 a.m. BST:\u00a0Ringwalks are underway for our co-main event. Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani are rightly spoken of as being among Japan’s greatest ever fighters, but Kazuto Ioka certainly belongs in that conversation. The 37-year-old veteran challenges Naoya’s brother Takuma Inoue for the WBC bantamweight title. Ioka has ruled across four divisions, from strawweight to super flyweight. If he dethrones Inoue tonight, he will become the seventh member of an elite club of men to call themselves five-division champions. Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard. Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford is company worth keeping.<\/p>\n

Kazuto Ioka with an epic walk out to get us underway \ud83e\udd29<\/p>\n

LIVE NOW ON DAZN!#InoueNakatani<\/a> | May 2 | Live on DAZN \u25aa\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/7akkLcSOCa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

6 a.m. ET\/ 11 a.m. BST: It looks like some atmosphere at the Tokyo Dome. Ring Magazine editor Tom Gray, formerly of this parish, is on the ground. No loitering in the casino or the pub until the main event in Tokyo. Those fans packed into this iconic venue have just been treated to an absolute barnburner and another split decision. One judge saw 10 welterweight rounds 96-94 in favour of former amateur standout Sora Tanaka, but the two others gave it to former world title challenger Jin Sasaki 97-93 and 96-94.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc40 Tokyo Dome almost packed on second undercard bout \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5\ud83e\udd4a\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/XZ1fRjQwRp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tom Gray (@Tom_Gray_Boxing) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

5:30 a.m. ET\/ 10:30 a.m. BST: Japanese promoters have a well-earned reputation for putting on well-matched cards without so many knock-over contents. This one so far is a case in point. The three bouts so far – Toshiki Shimomachi’s featherweight win over veteran former world title challenger Reiya Abe, Yuito Moriwaka’s rematch victory against Deok No Yun at super middleweight and the flyweight draw between Kosuke Tomioka and Shogo Tanaka have all gone the distance and there’s not been a unanimous verdict in any of them. Moriwaki prevailed by split and majority decision, respectively, while the flyweights boxed to a split draw.<\/p>\n

5 a.m. ET\/ 10 a.m. BST: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani. The two undefeated superstars of Japanese boxing clash for undisputed super bantamweight glory in a fight for the ages before a sold-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome. Stick a pot of coffee on and come and join us. It’s going to be epic. The fight, that is. I mean, I’m sure your coffee is good too.<\/p>\n

MORE INOUE-NAKATANI NEWS:<\/p>\n

\"\"Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani start timeDate:\u00a0Saturday, May 2Start time: 4\u00a0a.m. ET | 1\u00a0a.m. PT | 9 a.m. BSTMain event start time (approx.):\u00a08\u00a0a.m. ET | 5\u00a0a.m. PT | 1 p.m. BSTLocation:\u00a0Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n

Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani is on May 2. The main card starts at 4 a.m. ET and the main event should begin around 8 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where to watch Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani<\/p>\n

Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani will be available on DAZN<\/a> worldwide.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0DAZN<\/a>\u00a0monthly subscription is $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $29.99 month-to-month.\u00a0The\u00a0annual subscription is $224.99.<\/p>\n