Naoya Inoue States Why He Called Out Junto Nakatani In Japan

Dressed in a grey and white jogger outfit with his logo on it while sporting some tinted glasses, Inoue entered the Westside Boxing Club gym, and instantaneously, the energy changed dramatically in the room. He’s a star; when you see one, you know it as dozens of cameras were rapidly cycling through photos of the pound-4-pound star. Top Rank PR aces Evan Korn and Gabe Rivas coordinated for Inoue to first faceoff with his May 4 opponent, Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs), before fielding questions from the media.

Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani Has Fans Foaming At The Mouth

At last month’s annual boxing awards in Japan for 2024, Inoue and Nakatani shared the stage with the top Japanese fighters currently in the sport. In a surprise move, Inoue asked Nakatani for them to fight in 2026 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Without hesitation, Nakatani accepted. They shook hands, which was the initial verbal agreement between a future hall of famer (Inoue) and a rising young champion (Nakatani). Since that day, there hasn’t been much said about what occurred that night, so it was only right that I asked Inoue about it during his media workout in L.A.

As the media scrum took shape, this was the moment where I was given the opportunity to ask a question, and that’s when Nakatani was brought up and why Inoue felt the need to call him out for a fight while attending the Japanese Boxing Awards Ceremony last month in Japan. Inoue smiled and, through his translator, told FightsATW, “First of all, I would like to ask if everyone wants to see that fight,” said Inoue. Then, after the media acknowledged by saying, “Of course,” Inoue said, “Well, that’s the reason.”

It was short and sweet, but Inoue said a lot in his answer. He has heard the rumblings that Nakatani has created with his performances, and a move up to 126 pounds may not be ideal at this moment, especially if a huge fight is still left at super bantamweight. Inoue also knows that the biggest fight that can be made is with Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

The 32-year-old Inoue has expressed in previous interviews that the end is near, so a super-fight against a young, hungry multi-division champion is the type of fight not only to get up for but also to really put a stamp on his legacy. It will go down as one of the most significant events in the country’s history while adding to the legacy of the lower weight classes, which hardcore fans continue to follow closely worldwide. So the only other question remaining is: Can it be 2026 already?