Naoya Inoue Vs. David Picasso Breakdown

Pre-Fight

“Yes, [a title fight] has been something I’ve waited 17 years for – ever since I started fighting at age 7. This fight was really hard and complicated, but we came through. I was ready to prove my worth. This is what I’ve been waiting for and I’m ready to go for it all. The intention is to go, to appreciate Inoue’s power and prowess in person and see what we have in front of us. There’s no secret weapon to beating Inoue. I’m never going to pretend I know it all. It’s all about learning, growing and that’s what I aim to do. I do have some weapons from the longer range, being able to go to the body to hurt Inoue. It’s a matter of harnessing those lessons and skills moving forward,” Picasso said

The Approach

Inoue’s goal will be to use his jab and lead-hand parries. By neutralizing Picasso’s jab early, Inoue forces the challenger into a mid-range fight where the Japanese champion’s superior hand speed and accuracy take over. If Picasso utilizes his height to stay on the outside, Inoue will target the body to open up the head for his overhand right or left hook.

Picasso will likely rely on a stiff, snapping jab to keep Inoue at bay. Unlike previous opponents who grew gun-shy under Inoue’s pressure, Picasso needs to fire “educated volume”—punching in combinations of three or four to force Inoue into a defensive shell, even if the shots land on the arms and gloves. Picasso will need to pivot out of the corners and use his shoulder to roll away from Inoue’s power shots, looking to land his own straight right over the top. In his victory over Kyonosuke Kameda, Picasso showed he can handle the pressure of a Japanese opponent and keep his composure under fire.

Full Card

Naoya Inoue vs. David Picasso – undisputed junior featherweight championship

Junto Nakatani vs. Sebastian Hernandez – WBC and IBF bantamweight title

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Willibaldo Garcia Perez – IBF junior bantamweight title

Hayato Tsutsumi vs. James Dickens – junior middleweight

Taiga Imanaga vs. Armando Martinez Rabi – lightweight

Reito Tsutsumi vs. Leobardo Quintana Sanchez – junior featherweight