Inoue v Nakatani: Naoya Inoue beats Junto Nakatani in Tokyo to remain undisputed
After conquering the bantamweight division, Inoue moved up to super bantamweight in July 2023 and became the undisputed champion by the end of that year.
He made seven successful defenses of this status, but the rapid depletion of serious rivals led to speculation that another divisional change might be in the offing.
Moving up to featherweight is an option, but there are no household names in the division and moving up to super featherweight is probably a step too far.
The most likely path for Inoue seems to be a return to the minor leagues. negotiations are ongoing, external for a fight with pound-for-pound star Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
American Rodriguez, 26, will make his bantamweight debut on June 13 when he fights for the WBA title against Antonio Vargas.
Rodriguez reigned as the unified champion at flyweight and super flyweight and has an undefeated record in 23 fights, 16 of which were at distance.
“I’ve been very busy and I’ve had very busy days, so please give me a rest,” said Inoue, who has fought five times in the last 15 months. he said.
