Inoue beats Nakatani in tight contest to retain titles

Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani in one of the biggest boxing events in Japanese history Saturday.

Inoue beat Nakatani by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112 in favor of the undisputed junior featherweight champion.

The undefeated champion appeared to win most of the early rounds as both fighters got off to a slow start while feeling each other out.

Nakatani found some rhythm and had Inoue on his back foot in the middle part of the fight before a 10th-round headbutt caused a cut to the challenger. From there, Inoue dominated the final rounds en route to another title defense.

Inoue's victory over the previously undefeated Nakatani pushed his professional record to 33-0.

Inoue wouldn't disclose who he would fight next, requesting some time off after a hectic schedule that's included five fights since the beginning of 2025.

"Please give me some rest," the 33-year-old told 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome.

A potential superfight between Inoue and Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez at 122 pounds is something both sides have expressed interest in.