Naoya Inoue has revealed his honest thoughts on Junto Nakatani, having shared 12 rounds of incredible focus and tension with the three-division world champion.<\/p>\n
The pair squared off at a sold-out Tokyo Dome yesterday, headlining the most-attended Japanese boxing event in history as they collided in front of around 55,000 spectators.<\/p>\n
Inoue, a sizable pre-fight favourite, was making the seventh defence of his undisputed super-bantamweight crown after amassing four victories last year.<\/p>\n
Nakatani, on the other hand, was coming off a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Sebastian Hernandez in December, attempting to dethrone \u2018The Monster\u2019 in only his second outing at 122lbs.<\/p>\n
It would have been an astounding achievement if he managed to do so, but the 28-year-old ultimately lost a unanimous decision to the generational great<\/a>.<\/p>\n After banking the early rounds, Inoue encountered a spell of adversity as Nakatani came on strong,<\/a> especially in the 10th frame, and looked as if he was gathering serious momentum.<\/p>\n Inoue, however, responded with the qualities of a true champion and managed to solidify his victory in the final six minutes.<\/p>\n In a typically respectful manner, the 33-year-old hailed Nakatani\u2019s mental strength during his post-fight press conference, while also predicting that his countryman will become a four-weight world champion.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a mentally strong fighter, and I think he\u2019s definitely a fighter who will become a champion in the super-bantamweight division.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f “I AM RELIEVED”\ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n Naoya Inoue reacts to defeating Junto Nakatani in the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history at the Tokyo Dome!\ud83d\udd25\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5<\/p>\n Thoughts?\ud83e\udd14#InoueNakatani<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/joWShulYjv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n If he chooses to remain at 122lbs, then Nakatani may be compelled to wait longer than expected for another world title shot.<\/p>\n This is because early talks have begun for Inoue to defend his belts against Jesse \u2018Bam\u2019 Rodruguez, the unified super-flyweight champion, in January.<\/p>\n