Naoya Inoue Confirms His Fourth Fight of the Year
The undisputed super bantamweight champion, Naoya Inoue, remains unstoppable and has secured his fourth fight of the year, just days after successfully defending his title against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Inoue will face Mexican boxer Alan David Picasso on December 27 at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event, called “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai”, will also feature the match between Junto Nakatani and Sebastian Hernandez.
The expectation is that, if Inoue and Nakatani manage to emerge victorious in their respective fights, they will face each other in an anticipated duel in 2026.
Inoue, with an undefeated record of 31-0 and 27 KOs, is coming off a solid unanimous decision victory over Akhmadaliev last Sunday. His activity in 2025 is the highest since 2013, his first year as a professional. So far this year, he has defeated Ki Ye-Joon, Ramón Cárdenas, and Akhmadaliev, and is now looking to add Picasso to his list of defeated rivals. Picasso, also undefeated with a record of 32-0-1 and 17 KOs, is coming off a majority decision win over Kyonosuke Kameda in July.
Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) has had two fights in 2025, obtaining technical knockout victories over Ryosuke Nishida and David Cuellar Contreras. He has expressed his interest in a fight with Inoue, and this opportunity could materialize if he defeats Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs).
