INOUE-NAKATANI: HEAD-TO-HEAD
COMBINATION PUNCHING: ADVANTAGE NAKATANI
UPPERCUT: ADVANTAGE NAKATANI Nakatani has a big advantage here in that he can throw lead or counter uppercuts with either hand. His left uppercut could be his best punch. Nakatani also has the coordination to throw the uppercut from a little bit of distance so that he doesn’t have to be right against an opponent to land it. Perhaps most impressively, Nakatani uses his uppercuts as part of larger combinations, where he could start or end a sequence with it. Inoue throws his uppercut more sparingly than Nakatani does. He often will have a lot of success with his right uppercut to the body. His left uppercut isn’t usually a prominent part of his punch arsenal. As a change- of-pace weapon, Inoue’s uppercut is a solid punch, but he doesn’t feature it or have as much consistent success with it as Nakatani does.
Both fighters reside on The Ring Magazine’s pound- for-pound list, where Inoue, 32, has been a mainstay for over a decade. He is the more decorated fighter of the two, having become an undisputed champion at 118 pounds and now at 122 pounds, but Nakatani’s varied skill set, championship pedigree and physical dimensions lead many to believe that he has a real shot at defeating Inoue. For some perspective on Inoue’s dominance, he won his first world title (at 108 pounds) all the way back in 2014. He’s been on a 12-year run at the world level, winning belts in four weight classes. Known as “The Monster,” Inoue has been one of the most destructive forces of this era. Coming from a fighting family, Inoue’s dad, Shingo, is his trainer as well as The Ring’s 2025 Trainer of the Year, while his brother, Takuma,
punch or two in a sequence to land punches three or four; he’s going for maximum destruction with almost every punch thrown. Although he can still land devastating two-punch combinations, he doesn’t have the creativity or variety of combinations that Nakatani has. HAND SPEED: ADVANTAGE INOUE Inoue’s punches get there faster, and it’s not a small edge. However, it should be said that Nakatani does a great job of varying the speeds of his punches. Sometimes when he throws probing punches, he’s not looking to score with maximum velocity, but when he has an opponent hurt or finds an opening, suddenly his punches will arrive much more quickly. For Inoue, everything is fast and hard. With Nakatani, he often features more deception with his hand speed. Think
A major factor that makes Nakatani so successful in the ring is his creativity as a combination puncher. Atypical for modern boxers, Nakatani is very comfortable throwing four- or five- punch combinations. In addition, he can start or end punch sequences in a variety of ways. He’s not just a jab, cross, hook (1-2-3) combination puncher; he can throw it all. Also, he does a very good job of doubling up punches in a sequence, such as a hook to the body/hook to the head (or the reverse), or throwing multiple uppercuts in succession – and he can do it with either hand. As Inoue has aged as a fighter, the longer combination sequences aren’t as frequent. Now, when he does throw combinations, it’s usually in twos and threes. He’s not looking to waste a
about baseball for a second. Nakatani could throw his fastball at 95 or 89 miles per hour, and there’s a lot of value in that change of pace. But Inoue’s firing at 98! FOOT SPEED: ADVANTAGE INOUE Inoue is much more sudden with his movements, whether that’s forward-and-back or lateral. Nakatani is more of a traditional pocket fighter, and foot speed isn’t as much a part of his style. Nakatani knows his way around the ring, can circle and create angles very well, but he doesn’t get from Point A to Point B as fast as Inoue does. BODY PUNCHING: EVEN As mentioned earlier, Inoue’s left hook to the body could be
Nakatani was tested by Sebastian Hernandez in his 122-pound debut.
is a current bantamweight titleholder. Nakatani, 28, has also been dominant through the divisions, winning world title belts at 112, 115 and 118 pounds, where he was a unified Ring champion. Nakatani, a southpaw known as Big Bang, is a boxer-puncher renowned for his combination punching. He does most of his training in Southern California with his head coach, Rudy Hernandez. Below is an evaluation of how Inoue and Nakatani compare as it relates to their skills in the ring. At the end will be a prediction, if this fight were to happen in the near future. POWER: ADVANTAGE INOUE Although knockout percentage isn’t the only proxy for power, it’s a good place to start. Inoue has stopped 27 of 32 foes for an 84.4% KO rate. Nakatani has scored 24 stoppages in 32 fights, for a 75% KO rate, which itself is a very good percentage. Inoue has also stopped opponents at 122 pounds, whereas Nakatani hasn’t. In
addition, Inoue has generally faced better competition. Both fighters have multiple knockout weapons and can score stoppages either leading or countering. They are both good punchers, but Inoue has the slight edge. JAB: ADVANTAGE INOUE This is another category where Inoue has a slight edge. Both have very good jabs, but Inoue is more consistent with his throughout a fight. Nakatani will have portions of fights where he goes away from his jab. In terms of hand speed, Inoue’s jab will get there first. One interesting aspect of this matchup is the southpaw/orthodox contrast. Nakatani will have a lot more experience jabbing against orthodox fighters than Inoue does against southpaws. Although Inoue has faced southpaws in his career (Murodjon Akhmadaliev a recent example) and has won those fights, Nakatani might be able to neutralize Inoue’s jab edge in this dynamic.
STRAIGHT CROSS: ADVANTAGE INOUE Inoue’s right hand is faster and straighter than Nakatani’s left. It’s also more devastating. However, it should be noted that Nakatani is more creative with his back hand. He can loop it, throw it as an overhand shot or sling it from different angles (look at his stoppage of Andrew Moloney). But in terms of the signature straight punch, Inoue’s is superior. HOOK: ADVANTAGE INOUE Inoue’s left hook to the body might be the single best knockout weapon that either fighter possesses in this matchup. It’s essentially a perfect punch: powerful, accurate, short and fast. Nakatani doesn’t have any single punch in his arsenal that compares to Inoue’s hook.
Inoue landed devastating shots on Alan Picasso’s body.
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