Arizona Tribune - Inoue primed for 'historic' Nakatani clash in Tokyo

Undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue will return to the venue where he fought in front of 55,000 fans two years ago when he takes on Nakatani on May 2.

Both fighters are unbeaten and the long-anticipated bout is expected to create huge interest in Japan and beyond.

"May 2 will be a historic day for boxing," said Inoue, who will be defending his titles for the seventh time.

"But in terms of my boxing career, I have to think of it as just a point on the way," said the 32-year-old, who has a 32-0 record, with 27 wins by knockout.

"I will prepare for the fight with that mindset."

Inoue beat Mexico's Alan Picasso in Riyadh in December in what was his fourth fight of 2025.

Nakatani beat Mexico's Sebastian Hernandez by unanimous decision on the same card in his super bantamweight debut.

The 28-year-old Nakatani said he had "taken a lot" from the fight and was now feeling more comfortable at his new weight class.

"My body has grown and I feel like I'm getting more adjusted, so from here I want to discuss tactics and the game plan with my team," said Nakatani, who has a 32-0 record with 24 KOs.

"I want to hone things and get fully ready."

Inoue will return to the Tokyo Dome for the first time since he knocked out Mexico's Luis Nery there in May 2024.

He said he was "tired" after beating Picasso in Saudi Arabia but the man known as "Monster" promised he would be ready for Nakatani.

"I have to raise the level of every aspect of my boxing, otherwise I can't bring out the best version of myself," said Inoue.

"First of all I have to make sure this is the best fight I've ever had."

In another all-Japanese clash on the undercard, Inoue's younger brother Takuma Inoue, the WBC bantamweight world champion, will fight Kazuto Ioka.

W.Nelson--AT