Naoya Inoue defended his undisputed junior featherweight titles with a unanimous win over Japanese rival Junto Nakatani on Saturday.
The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113, 116-112 all in favor of the champion.
In front of a sold-out 55,000 strong crowd at the Tokyo Dome, Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) produced a clean and clinical performance to win the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history and maintain his unbeaten status, keeping hold of his his WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine straps at 122 pounds.
Both fighters began the bout reluctant to engage but the tempo increased in Round 4 with Inoue, who is No. 2 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound list, opening up and throwing his jab with more spite.
The cagey start was a result of huge respect between the two champions, something which was evident throughout the contest. They touched gloves at the end of most rounds and were even seen smiling at each other at times as the action unfolded.
Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs) responded to Inoue’s stronger start in Rounds 5 and 6 with more intent and began Round 7 on the front foot, building combinations before Inoue did doing the same, working off his jab and targeting the body as the two technicians tried to wrestle momentum.
Prior to Round 8, Nakatani’s coach, Rudy Hernandez, told his charge he needed to be more aggressive an let his hands go.
Nakatani tried with varying degrees of success, but Inoue’s precise movement made him difficult to pin down as the champion continued to score, doing enough to pinch the close rounds.
Nakatani stepped things up in Round 9 but still struggled to land a clean shot and trouble Inoue, who remained composed even when his younger opponent put the pressure on and walked him down.
The fight was stopped briefly in Round 10 after Nakatani sustained a cut above his left eye following a clash of heads. Initially, it didn’t deter the challenger who finished the round strong, landing a right hook and punishing the body of Inoue who couldn’t match his opponent’s output.
However, blood poured into Nakatani’s eye in the final two rounds and Inoue seized his opportunity, ramping up the pace again to finish the championship rounds in control.
Inoue seemed to find a second wind, landing two clean uppercuts in Round 11, one with the right hand and one with the left as blood from the cut continued to bother Nakatani.
The pair took turns exchanging combinations to finish the fight and they embraced after the final bell.
