こんにちは。ボクシングを愛し愛された男、アイネ・クライネ・ナジームハメドです！
It’s already February in 2025.
This year started with Naoya Inoue defending his title by KO,
but how is everyone doing?
Today, we will be looking at what Inoue Naoya will be like in 2025 and, although it may be a bit premature, in 2026.
- Naoya Inoue’s activities in 2025
- Who are the current top fighters in the super bantamweight division?
- Outlook for Naoya Inoue in 2026
- When will the Nakatani vs Inoue fight take place?
- コメントどしどしお待ちしています！
Naoya Inoue’s activities in 2025
First, here are some comments made by Inoue himself at the press conference after his fight with Kim Ye-Jung in January.
井上尚弥が年内フェザー級挑戦へ、年4試合の仰天プラン詳細 次戦はピカソ、2026年に中谷潤人か
According to the press conference, four games are planned for 2025.
One game was already played in January,
so it seems there are three games planned for the rest of this year.
The breakdown is as follows…
① vs Kim Ye-Jung (completed)
② vs Alan Picasso
③ vs Murodzhon Akhmadaliev
④ vs Nick Ball
Of course, this is assuming they continue to win, but this is the blueprint they have in mind.
Who are the current top fighters in the super bantamweight division?
Let’s now take a look at the world rankings as of today, February 5, 2025.
Aside from the fighters who have already lost to Inoue and Goodman, who had to cancel his bout due to injury, the one closest to fighting Inoue is Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Next up will be American Ramon Cardenas, followed by Alain Picasso, who is rumored to be his next opponent.
Outlook for the fight against Alain Picasso
This spring (according to US sources, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on June 14th),
Inoue is first planning to fight Alain Picasso.
A brief introduction to Alan Picasso
Picasso is the No. 1 WBC designated challenger, and as this will be a designated bout for Inoue, who is also the WBC champion, this is an important match for Inoue to maintain his status as the unified four-organization champion.
Picasso is from Mexico and is a world ranked boxer with 31 wins, 1 draw, and no losses in 32 bouts. He is a tall orthodox boxer with excellent technique and speed.
During his career, he has sparred with Inoue and is famous for his win over Azat Hovhannisyan, who had a fierce battle with Luis Nery, by a wide margin, and his reputation has been growing ever since.
Picasso is poorly regarded by experts
Picasso’s track record and rankings make him a legitimate challenger, but many experts have doubts about his ability.
In particular, the famous trainer who trained Juan Manuel Marquez, Ignacio Begiristain, made a statement to Picasso that “You’d better not fight Inoue because you’ll only end up in danger,” which became a big topic of conversation.
However, Picasso himself appears nonchalant, and told the media that he will be taking on Inoue as an underdog. Picasso is a medical student at a prestigious university, but this interview shows his intelligence well.
I too believe that Picasso is completely lacking in ability to challenge Inoue.
Picasso vs Inoue: This is how it goes
When facing Inoue, the important things are
speed, technique, power, and finally courage, but
none of those are particularly noteworthy.
He doesn’t pack a punch, and his physique is slim,
so his durability is questionable.
His fighting style
is that of an outboxer who makes the most of his height,
but contrary to his appearance, he is surprisingly aggressive.
He is not afraid of close-quarters combat,
so he is good at not only fighting at a distance,
but also in close-quarters combat that makes the most of his physique.
However, it would be suicidal to casually challenge Inoue to close-quarters combat,
and I can picture in my mind the explosive left short hook
that made Donaire do the chicken dance and took Neri down.
I fear that a similar fight will unfold as in the Butler fight, where Picasso, realizing that he is no match for Inoue at close or long range, will tighten his guard, turn into a turtle and run away, but will he be able to show Inoue a lesson with his cleverness?
Outlook for the Murodjon Akhmadaliev fight
Assuming he makes it through the Picasso bout in June unscathed,
his next scheduled bout will be against former WBA Super and IBF champion
Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
This bout is expected to take place around September.
A brief introduction to Akhmadaliyev
Akhmadaliev is a small fighter, but he is a great fighter with the solid technique of an Olympic bronze medalist, explosive speed, and sharp speed.
He was previously said to be the strongest in the super bantamweight class, and when he was the unified champion of two organizations, I also thought he was the strongest boxer in that class.
In his match against Iwasa Ryosuke in the IBF title unification match, his offensive power was overwhelming, and I remember being impressed by the sight of Iwasa being beaten to a pulp by his opponent, thinking, “This guy is strong…”
After that, he lost to Tapales, who in turn lost to Inoue, and was stripped of his title. He then went through some hard times,
due to poor health, a lack of matches, and Inoue’s move up to the super bantamweight division.
アフマダリエフは井上戦を切望している
The reason why the fight with Inoue is being planned is because he regained the WBA interim title last year, and there are hopes for a WBA title unification fight.
The one pushing for the fight with Inoue is Akhmadaliev’s promoter, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn.
Ever since Akhmadaliev became the WBA number one, he has repeatedly said that Inoue is running away from Akhmadaliev.
I don’t like Eddie Hearn very much either, because he often uses trash talk and is often treated as a villain in Japan, but he also made a nasty remark about Picasso, whom Inoue will be fighting next, saying, “Who is that? A painter?” It made me laugh.
The reason why the Akhmadaliev vs. Inoue fight was not scheduled for a long time
It is true that Akhmadaliev is in the closest position to fighting Inoue, having gained the interim title from the WBA No. 1 ranking, and it is only natural that he and Eddie Hearn are eager to fight Inoue, but the WBA has special privileges for super champions, and while WBA champions usually have a nine-month deadline for mandatory fights, super champions do not have this deadline. The WBA applies this rule vaguely, so interpretations vary, but there is a good reason why Akhmadaliev, who has the right to challenge for the WBA, is being left out in the cold. Furthermore, Akhmadaliev has a track record of losing to Tapales, who lost to Inoue, and that is why he is behind in the queue to fight Inoue.
Akhmadaliev vs Inoue: Here’s how it will go
However, Akhmadaliev is often named as the only boxer in the super bantamweight division who can compete with Inoue, given his ability, ranking, and title as a former champion. If the fight against Inoue were to take place, it would likely be a great bout featuring highly skilled techniques.
However, Akhmadaliev doesn’t have the punches or courage of Donaire,
so he will likely try to compete with Inoue using speed and technique.
Akhmadaliev will surely be outmatched by Inoue, who has the world’s best speed and technique as well as overwhelming power,
with just technique and speed.
Inoue is sure to win.
This match will take place in Saudi Arabia and is expected to take part in the Riyadh Season,
so it will likely be a match that attracts attention from all over the world, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Outlook for the Nick Ball match
At the end of the year, Inoue plans to move up to the featherweight class and face WBA champion Nick Ball.
Inoue has previously hinted at moving up to the featherweight class,
and if all goes well, we may see a featherweight fight before the end of the year.
Let’s take a look at the featherweight rankings table.
What was the reason behind Inoue’s naming of Nick Ball?
One may ask, why is the first featherweight bout not against WBO champion Espinosa,
but against other champions, specifically WBA champion Nick Ball?
But it seems that the promoter’s convenience is involved.
It is rumored that the event will be held in Las Vegas or Saudi Arabia,
but it seems that there is a promise with the Riyadh Season that two fights will be held in Saudi Arabia by the end of the year.
The Riyadh Season tends to invite fighters who have fought before,
and Nick Ball has already fought many times in Riyadh.
Espinoza, on the other hand, has no experience fighting in Riyadh,
so it may be easier to invite Nick Ball.
A quick introduction to Nick Ball: Here’s what the fight against Inoue will be like
Nick Ball has a tomboyish appearance, and as you would expect from his small, muscular appearance,
his fighting style can be described as that of a combative bullfighter.
He likes to get into his opponent’s guard while swinging left and right hooks,
and mow them down at close range.
Neri is the closest type of fighter Inoue has fought in the past,
but Ball is an even closer type of fighter than Neri.
Even Inoue would likely struggle against the tough, core-strong Ball who persists at close range.
But, like Neri, Ball is a rough fighter with some weak guards.
I think that against Inoue, it will be a one-sided match, with Inoue maintaining a medium-distance approach and firing concentrated fire at him.
What are the unexpected pitfalls of making the Nick Ball match a reality?
Nick Ball’s next fight will be against TJ Doheny, who lost to Inoue.
Doheny is known for his powerful punches at super bantamweight,
and is physically strong enough to compete at featherweight.
He also has fine defensive skills,
and I expect he will give Nick Ball a lot of trouble.
It’s quite possible that the title will be traded,
and if that happens,
the plans for the Riyadh Season will be thrown into disarray,
but we’ll see…
Even so, I was really taken aback by the pointlessness of the verbal battle between Ball and Doheny…
I don’t think anyone would believe Doheny, who had his back destroyed by Inoue’s body shot,
who said he had no choice but to withdraw because he had unintentionally injured his back…
If he wins the featherweight division, it will be a legendary achievement…
In any case, if he becomes the featherweight champion,
he will be the first Japanese to win five weight classes (actually six weight classes because he skipped a weight class),
and will achieve a feat that only seven people in the world have achieved.
If he wins all five weight classes by knockout, wouldn’t that be a historic first?
I’m thinking of researching this and writing an article about it sometime soon.
Summary of Naoya Inoue in 2025 (too early lol)
Naoya Inoue is expected to finish 2025 with four fights this year,
and it looks like he will be active around the world with appearances in Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia.
This Japanese monster is truly amazing.
As for four fights this year,
he made his professional debut at the age of 19,
and as of February 2025, he will be 31 years old and in his 12th year of his career.
He has had 29 professional fights, which is a pace of about 2.5 fights per year.
Four fights per year is a pace that far exceeds this,
and Inoue himself has only had one experience in 2013, the year after his debut,
and this will be his first challenge, including overseas fights.
A boxer’s routine before and after a fight usually follows the following sequence.
Weight loss
↓
Weigh-in before match
Recovery (weight back)
↓
Match
↓
Rest to recover from damage
Rebound
↓
Match decided
↓
Analyze opponent
Consider countermeasures
↓
Resume full-scale training
↓
Weight loss
↓
Match
To lose weight as planned as Inoue,
you need about a month to lose weight before a match.
If you also take into account the time needed to rest to recover from damage,
analysing your opponent and negotiating the match,
I think a three-month interval is the limit.
And do this with four matches a year, all world matches, overseas!
That’s an abnormally high pace, and truly a monstrous feat.
I believe there are three obstacles to whether this plan can be successfully carried out.
Will Picasso, fearful of the Inoue fight, desert in front of the enemy?
Will he survive the tough fight against Akhmadaliev unscathed?
Will Ball lose to Doheny and be left with no one to fight?
I know I’m writing something very rude, but I’d like to end this post by shifting the blame to Inoue, who is showing off his monstrous strength (laughs).
Outlook for Naoya Inoue in 2026
A match with a player that Japanese people long for
Well, we’re already talking about next year, 2026, and while there’s a lot of talk on the internet about 2025, I’d like to take a step ahead and mention his moves in 2026.
Inoue also talked about the match in 2026 with a lot of enthusiasm.
フェザーで王座を取ったあとは、
スーパーバンタム級に落として試合をする。
スーパーバンタムで戦うべき相手がいる。
井上尚弥が年内フェザー級挑戦へ、年4試合の仰天プラン詳細 次戦はピカソ、2026年に中谷潤人か
This comment is thought to be a reference to the current WBC World Bantamweight Champion, Nakatani Junto.
Nakatani is another face of Japanese boxing
Nakatani Junto, who is included in the PFP rankings, is highly regarded by experts both in Japan and abroad, and is a boxer with the world’s best techniques.
Nakatani Junto himself has been making positive comments about the Inoue fight recently, and if the weight class is right, it seems like the environment is set to make the fight happen soon.
Nakatani, who is currently unrivaled in the bantamweight division, will achieve the strongest status in the WBA (and the fight will likely be between two Japanese fighters, which I’m also very interested in), and the earliest he’ll be promoted to super bantamweight is likely to be around the end of 2025, which would coincide with the time of the Inoue vs. Ball fight.
Immediately after the ball fight, Nakatani, who is usually gentle and not provocative, may enter the ring and face off with Inoue, creating some exciting action.
When will the Nakatani vs Inoue fight take place?
The fight with Nakatani is expected to take place after spring 2026.
I can’t wait.
It will likely take place in Japan, in a large venue such as the Tokyo Dome or Saitama Super Arena,
making it a major event.
Or it may take place in Saudi Arabia.
Nakatani is one of the strongest active lightweight boxers,
and one of the strongest Japanese boxers of all time,
but I think Inoue Naoya is still several ranks above him.
I predict Inoue will win by a wide margin or a mid-round KO.
In any case, the Inoue vs. Nakatani match
will surely be the biggest event in Japanese boxing history,
and there is no doubt that the best technical battle will unfold.
It will be the best match in both name and reality.
Whether it’s a rematch or a rematch, it’s a match I want to watch over and over again.
I hope Nakatani will keep winning steadily until then
and be promoted to super bantamweight.
If possible, he would gain a lot of attention if he were to win one of the interim super bantamweight titles or take back the title that Inoue relinquished.
Who is Inoue’s final boss?
His future after spring 2026 is undecided, but if he runs out of things to do in the super bantamweight division, he may move up to the featherweight division again to face WBO champion Rafael Espinosa.
Espinosa is a WBO champion who defeated Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez twice and has been rising in popularity in recent years.
He is an all-around athlete with exceptional height for a featherweight racer, and is comfortable at close range as well as long distances, possessing the technique, power and fighting spirit to handle it.
He is also being named as the final boss for Inoue, and I believe that Espinosa is the only one currently in the Featherweight division who has the ability to match up to Inoue, so I think he will essentially be the final boss.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Espinosa was already in the PFP rankings by the time he fights Inoue, so this fight against Espinosa has the potential to be a highlight of Inoue’s career.
Who will Inoue fight next?
Who will stand in Inoue’s way when he is promoted to the featherweight division in 2026 and beyond?
The IBF champion was Angelo Leo, who won a shocking knockout victory over Luis Alberto Lopez, who had defeated Abe Reiya, but to be honest, I don’t think he has what it takes to threaten Inoue.
The new WBC regular champion is Stephen Fulton, who won a rematch against Brandon Figueroa on February 1st to become a two-division champion, but he has already been soundly defeated by Inoue, so the rematch lacks excitement.
Other things include:
The up-and-coming Bruce Carrington, the veteran WBC resting champion Ray Vargas, and the aforementioned Robeisy Ramirez.
There are many well-known boxers, but there is no one who seems capable of stopping Inoue’s winning streak.
I don’t think Inoue will take the easy option of finding an opponent and moving up to the Super Feather division, but if he has trouble finding a match, it seems possible he could be promoted to the Super Feather division.
Will he unify the four titles in the featherweight division as well,
or will he be promoted to the super featherweight division and achieve six-division domination (effectively seven-division domination)?
My dreams are starting to grow.
What are the prospects for Inoue, who has publicly declared he plans to retire at age 35?
The fight with Nakatani is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2026, and the fight with Espinosa in the summer,
by which time Inoue will be 33 years old, but he once publicly stated that he would retire at age 35,
and then later retracted that statement.
Either way, he is approaching retirement and is thought to have about 3-4 years left in his career, which means he is likely to play about 10 games in total.
Including featherweight, I think he can only be promoted one or two more weight classes,
but personally I would like him to somehow make it to lightweight and become the first fighter in the world to conquer seven weight classes (effectively eight weight classes).
He will be 35 in 2028.
I hope that by then, the world’s greatest legendary match will take place.
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