Naoya Inoue Schedules Fourth Fight of the Year
The undisputed super bantamweight champion, Naoya Inoue, has scheduled his fourth fight of the year, a few 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. The event, called “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai”, will also feature Junto Nakatani, who will put his WBC and IBF bantamweight titles on the line against Sebastian Hernandez.
It is expected that, should Inoue and Nakatani win their respective fights, they will face each other in an anticipated duel in 2026.
Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs), who secured a wide decision victory over Akhmadaliev on Sunday, hasn’t had such intense activity since 2013, his first year as a professional. In 2025, he has defeated Ki Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, and Ahkmadaliev, and now seeks to add Picasso to his list of defeated rivals. Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) last fought in July, winning a majority decision over Kyonosuke Kameda in a 10-round bout.
Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) has fought twice in 2025, defeating Ryosuke Nishida and David Cuellar Contreras by knockout. He has actively sought a match with Inoue and will have his opportunity if he manages to beat Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs).
