Naoya Inoue Secures His Fourth Fight of the Year
The undisputed super bantamweight champion, Naoya Inoue, has confirmed his fourth fight of the year. After successfully defending his title against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Inoue is preparing to face Alan David Picasso from Mexico.
The showdown is scheduled for December 27 at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event, dubbed “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai”, will also feature Junto Nakatani defending his WBC and IBF bantamweight titles against Sebastian Hernandez.
The expectation is that, if Inoue and Nakatani win their respective fights, they will face each other in a high-magnitude duel in 2026.
Inoue, with a record of 31-0 and 27 knockouts, has had a remarkable activity this year, similar to his first year as a professional in 2013. In 2025, he has defeated Ki Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas and Ahkmadaliev, and now seeks to add Picasso to his list of victories.
Picasso, also undefeated with a record of 32-0-1 and 17 knockouts, is coming off a majority decision victory over Kyonosuke Kameda in July.
Nakatani, for his part, with a record of 31-0 and 24 knockouts, has had two fights in 2025, defeating Ryosuke Nishida and David Cuellar Contreras. He has expressed his desire to face Inoue and could achieve it if he defeats Hernandez, who has a record of 20-0 and 18 knockouts.
