Naoya Inoue Schedules Fourth Fight of the Year
The undisputed junior featherweight champion, Naoya Inoue, has confirmed his fourth fight of the year, just days after successfully defending his title against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Inoue will face Mexican Alan David Picasso on December 27 at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as announced on Thursday. This fight will be part of the “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai” event.
In the co-main event, Junto Nakatani will put his WBC and IBF bantamweight titles on the line against Sebastian Hernandez.
If Inoue and Nakatani win their respective fights, an epic showdown is expected in 2026.
Inoue, with a record of 31-0 and 27 KOs, achieved a decision victory over Akhmadaliev on Sunday. His activity in 2025 is the most since 2013, his first year as a professional.
In 2025, Inoue has defeated Ki Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, and Ahkmadaliev, and seeks to add Picasso to his list of victories. Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) is coming off a majority decision win against Kyonosuke Kameda in July.
Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) has had two fights in 2025, with technical knockout victories over Ryosuke Nishida and David Cuellar Contreras. He has expressed his desire to face Inoue and will have the opportunity if he defeats Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs).
