DOUBLE JEOPARDY
pound-rated and an authentic knockout artist. A fight between the pair would be the biggest in Japanese boxing history and one of the best matchups in the sport today. Luckily, both men seem willing to make it happen. Inoue, 32, also aspires to become a five-weight world champion, which would mean another trip up the scales to featherweight. Awaiting him there is a pair of unbeaten titleholders, Rafael Espinoza and Nick Ball, both with formidable arsenals. It’s the fans who stand to be the beneficiaries if any of these potentially explosive showdowns are made over the next 12-18 months. The Ring spoke with a selection of boxing luminaries to discuss these matchups further. THE SUPERFIGHT Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) has been a world champion for over a decade, impressively defeating a series of respected titleholders and top contenders. He earned his pound-for- pound position (currently No. 2 behind heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk) the hard way and is already a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, some fans are impossible to satisfy. Inoue is so good that there are desperate souls out there calling for him to leapfrog several divisions and fight Gervonta Davis. Davis, the reigning WBA lightweight titleholder, has campaigned as high as 140 pounds and is bursting at the seams at 135. Sorry, folks, that’s just stupid. Not to worry. There’s a realistic and authentic superfight out there for Inoue, and it’s right on his doorstep. JUNTO NAKATANI RECORD: 30-0 (23 KOs) STATUS: WBC bantamweight titleholder/ The Ring No. 1 at 118 pounds Junto Nakatani scored his first notable victory in October 2019 when he outclassed and stopped former IBF junior flyweight titleholder Milan Melindo in six rounds. Since then, the classy Japanese
lefty has won nine world title fights across three divisions and scored eight stoppages. He also outpointed the highly respected Francisco Rodriguez Jr. in a non-title attraction. Among his other victims are Giemel Magramo (TKO 8), Angel Acosta (TKO 4), Andrew Moloney (KO 12) and Alexandro Santiago (TKO 6). “The thing that makes him so difficult is his style,” said Moloney, who was on the receiving end of The Ring’s Knockout of the Year for 2023. “He’s extremely long and tall for the weight, then you mix in the fact that he’s a southpaw. He makes it very difficult for us shorter guys to close the distance and land anything significant on him. “You also need to factor in that he has very good accuracy. For the majority of that fight, I didn’t feel that his power was ridiculous, which may sound like a silly thing to say when he knocked me out cold. But it was the accuracy and timing of those shots that were very good. “He’s the best I’ve faced and a very frustrating guy to fight.” In terms of corner strength, acclaimed Los Angeles-based coach Rudy Hernandez has guided Nakatani, 27, since he was a teenager and the results speak for themselves. “Inoue hasn’t faced nobody like Junto, and we’ve never faced anyone like him,” said Nakatani’s coach with respect. “Both are very talented fighters, hard-working fighters. “I believe, personally, that Inoue is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. If the day ever comes when we fight, Inoue will be the favorite… he’s earned that. It’s just that the best can’t stay the best forever. We want to be able to beat Inoue when he’s the number one guy in the world. We want to be in his position.” But does Nakatani have what it takes to vanquish the current king of Japanese boxing? “I get asked about this a lot because I’ve faced Nakatani and because I was very close to the action when my brother [Jason] fought Inoue,” said Moloney.
“Nakatani’s style is unique, so it’ll be interesting to see how Inoue deals with that. But, overall, I still favor Inoue in the fight. I think that his explosiveness, his speed with his feet and his hands, and the way he’s able to close the distance so quickly [gives him the advantage]. It’s a great fight and I hope it happens.” At the time of writing, Nakatani was scheduled to face countryman and IBF counterpart Ryosuke Nishida in a bantamweight unification clash on June 8 in Tokyo. The vacant Ring Magazine championship will also be at stake. Should Nakatani prevail, then The Monster will be back in his sights. FEATHERWEIGHT Fighters have been rolling the dice with the scales for over a century. In the 1920s, Mickey Walker, “The Toy Bulldog,” captured world titles at welterweight and middleweight by implementing a notoriously savage and relentless attack. But what’s more amazing is that the 5-foot-7 Walker was tackling light heavyweights and heavyweights before his all-time great career was over. After Walker had hung up the gloves, Henry Armstrong, known as “Homicide Hank,” reigned as featherweight, lightweight and welterweight champion simultaneously during the 1930s, an accomplishment that will never be matched. Can the great Inoue decimate yet another division and leave a string of knockout victims in his wake, or is featherweight a bridge too far? NICK BALL Record: 22-0-1 (13 KOs) Status: WBA featherweight titleholder/The Ring No. 3 at 126 pounds Nick Ball’s ferocious approach was on display for all to see when he annihilated compatriot Isaac Lowe on the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte undercard at Wembley Stadium in April 2022. However, few experts would have tabbed Ball as a future titleholder at that point.
“Inoue hasn’t faced nobody like Junto, and we’ve never faced anyone like him.” - Rudy Hernandez
Like Inoue, Nakatani is undefeated and a multi- weight world champion.
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