In a highly anticipated clash of Japanese boxing stars, Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision on Saturday night at Tokyo Dome, keeping his undisputed super-bantamweight championship and extending his perfect record to 33-0 (27 KOs).
The 33-year-old Inoue, a four-division world champion, controlled the early rounds with sharp body work and cagey footwork, solving the puzzle posed by the taller, rangier Nakatani. As the fight progressed, the previously undefeated Nakatani (28-0, 19 KOs) began to find his rhythm, but an accidental clash of heads in the 10th round opened a cut above Nakatani's left eye, slowing his momentum.
Inoue seized the opening, landing crisp combinations in the final two rounds to seal the victory. Two judges scored the bout 116-112 and one 115-113 in favor of Inoue.
"This victory is very valuable for me because he is also a big pound-for-pound fighter," Inoue said. "I will come back to Tokyo to fight for you again. Keep rooting for me."
The fight, billed as one of the biggest in Japanese boxing history, drew a crowd of 55,000. Inoue's younger brother Takuma won earlier on the card, defending his WBC bantamweight title via points victory over Kazuto Ioka.
With few challengers left at super-bantamweight, speculation is growing that Inoue may move up or down in weight. Preliminary talks have surfaced for a potential showdown with American star Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, who fights at bantamweight.