‘Night of the Samurai’ – Inoue, Nakatani, Teraji Lead Historic Japan vs World Card

Fresh from his dominating win over MJ Akhmadaliev, Naoya Inoue’s next fight has been made official, with the “Monster” defending his undisputed super bantamweight crown against Alan David Picasso in the main event Ring V: Night of the Samurai on December 27, live on DAZN.

The entire card will take place at Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring some of Japan’s most talented fighters taking on fighters from other countries.

Naoya Inoue headlines historic ‘night of the samurai’ card featuring Junto Nakatani

With Ring VI set to happen on November 22, with Anthony Yarde vs David Benavidez featuring, Turki Alalshikh has now announced Ring V, with Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) vs Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) taking centre stage.

When making the announcement on X, Alalshikh said:

“A day when Japan’s greatest boxers gather together. A spectacular event hailed as the greatest Japanese card in history.

“The night of the strongest Japanese boxing lineup ever assembled, with fighters who have never gathered on the same card before, and a special night to celebrate the friendship between Saudi Arabia and Japan that has lasted for over 70 years.

“The event unites champions from Japan against top global contenders in battles of honor, legacy, and pride.”

‘Night of the samurai’ – rest of the card

With the “Monster” in the headline slot, he will be supported by an impressive undercard. Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs), a likely future opponent for Naoya Inoue, will face Sebastian Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs). 

Also on the card, Kenshiro Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs), the former unified WBC/WBA flyweight champion and a two-time WBC light flyweight titlist, will move up in weight to challenge IBF super flyweight champion Willibaldo Garcia (23-6-2, 13 KOs).

Ring ambassador Hayato Tsutsumi (8-0, 5 KOs), who continues to impress, will return to action against James “Jazza” Dickens (36-5, 15 KOs), who will be defending his WBA interim super featherweight title for the first time.

26-year-old southpaw Taiga Imanaga will be on the card, taking on Armando Martinez (16-0, 15 KOs), with super bantamweight hot prospect Reito Tsutsumi (3-0, 2 KOs) taking on Leobardo Quintana (11-1, 5 KOs).

This looks set to be a memorable night of boxing with some of Japan’s most impressive fighters taking on opponents from around the world. Who are you looking forward to seeing?