The biggest all-Japanese matchup and one of the biggest fights to be made in boxing in 2026 is now official: Inoue vs Nakatani.
Unified and undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue of Yokohama, Japan will face challenger Junto Nakatani of Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan will contest one of the biggest all-Japanese fights in recent memory when they meet at the Tokyo Dome this May.
Inoue, age 32, and Nakatani, age 28, have identical undefeated records of 32 wins and no losses. Inoue has 27 knockout wins; Nakatani is close with 24 knockout wins. Inoue is widely considered among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. With the retirement of Terence Crawford, his only true rival currently is heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Nakatani is also ranked among the top ten, generally in the second half, making this fight among rivals a matchup at the highest level of the sport.
The fight will take place in Tokyo at the 57,000 seat Tokyo Dome, sure to be a sellout. Ringwalks in the United States at approximately 8 a.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. However, there is currently no broadcast agreement in the U.S.
Road to Inoue vs Nakatani
Inoue, known as “The Monster,” is unique among boxing champions in the modern era. He is a four-division world champion and has been undisputed in two of them, including his current run at super bantamweight. He defended his titles four times in 2025. No other male champion defended his titles as frequently as Inoue.
Nakatani trains in Los Angeles with veteran trainer Rudy Hernandez, where they have worked at the LA Boxing Gym in Little Tokyo since 2013. Nicknamed “Big Bang,” Nakatani recently stepped up to the super bantamweight division. His first fight at 122 pounds against Sebastian Hernandez of Mexico on December 27 on the “Night of the Samurai” card in Saudi Arabia went the distance, ending in a unanimous decision for Nakatani.
Inoue’s last fight of 2025 was on the same card, and he also won a decision over challenger David Picasso of Mexico, but by far wider scores and in more dominating fashion than Nakatani.
Inoue will be considered the favorite to defend his titles. It is likely to be his last fight in the super bantamweight division before moving up to featherweight in an attempt to win titles in a fifth weight division.
Inoue and Nakatani Discuss The Battle
At this week’s announcement news conference in Japan, Inoue noted he called for this matchup at last year’s Ring Magazine awards where he was named the Fight of the Year.
“We called for this fight, and we promised each other we would remain undefeated. I want everyone to see the historic moment when we clash on May 2,” said Inoue, calling it a historic day for boxing. It will be the seventh defense of his undisputed crown.
“But in terms of my boxing career, I have to think of it as just a point on the way,” added Inoue. “I will prepare for the fight with that mindset. I have no desire to protect myself. I’ll give it my all on May 2.
Inoue, who fought four times in 2025, acknowledged the demanding schedule after his win over Picasso but said the challenge of facing Nakatani would demand the best version of himself.
“I have to raise the level of every aspect of my boxing, otherwise I can’t bring out the best version of myself,” he said.
Nakatani said he grasps the challenge in front of him in Inoue, a fighter widely regarded as Japan’s greatest boxer.
“After being approached by Inoue, I’ve been undefeated and made it to this point, so all that’s left is to become world champion,” said Nakatani. “I really want to make this the best fight I can, so I hope you’ll all watch.”
Nakatani said going the distance in his December fight against Hernandez was a learning opportunity, and he would show the growth when facing Inoue in May.
“He’s the best fighter, so I need to be at my best when I fight him,” said Nakatani, who has full confidence he can slay The Monster after 32 opponents before him have failed. “I think that fight was a great success for me and made me a strong boxer.”
Inoue vs Nakatani Undercard
Undercard fights were also announced this week. The co-main event matches two-time bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs), Naoya’s younger brother, who will make his first defense of the WBC title against countryman Kazuto Ioka (32-4-1, 17 KOs). With a win, Ioka would become Japan’s first male five-division champion.
Also on the undercard:
Featherweights Toshiki Shimomachi of Osaka (22-1-3, 12 KOs) vs. Reiya Abe of Kanagawa (28-4-2, 10 KOs)
Welterweights Sora Tanaka of Yokohama 5-0, 5 KOs) vs. Jin Sasaki of Tokyo (20-2-1, 18 KOs), for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title
Flyweights Kosuke Tomioka of Saitama (11-4, 8 KOs) vs. Shogo Tanaka of Yokohama (5-0, 3 KOs), for the WBO Asia Pacific title
Super middleweights Deok No Yun of South Korea (10-2-1, 8 KOs) vs. Yuito Moriwaki of Tokyo (1-0-1) for the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation titles
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.