TAKING ON THE WORLD
F ans of the Japanese boxing scene living in the western world are used to having to work to keep up with their passions. Until somewhat recently, when more Japanese fighters have signed co-promotional deals with American companies, broadcasts of fights taking place in Japan were seldom available through, shall we say, conventional means. Following Japanese fighters on a granular level is the closest thing to the tape-trading scene that satiated hardcore fans of more obscure, non-PPV boxers in the 1990s and 2000s – now in the form of a whisper network showing where to find fights online, either live or after the fact. But sometimes, talent can overcome the obstacles of an otherwise siloed subculture. The sweet science is enjoying perhaps its finest era in Japan’s history, driven by some of the finest fighters in the world and a fairly thorough dominance of some of the lightest weight classes. Historically, Japan’s biggest fights happen during the holiday season, and on December 27, fans in the west will wake up – though not quite as early, as the event will take place in Riyadh – with the gift of Ring V: “Night of the Samurai” under the proverbial tree, featuring the very best Japan has to offer. 1. Naoya Inoue vs. Alan Picasso Undisputed and Ring Magazine junior featherweight championship It speaks to the level of talent of Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk that Naoya Inoue isn’t universally considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. For several years now, Inoue has been considered, at worst, one of the three best fighters alive. If the parameters for pound-for-pound supremacy were simply “the eye test,” it’s Inoue’s highlight tape that receives a perfect 10. A true boxing cyborg, Inoue
represents Hernandez’s best win. But unlike Picasso, he’s never fought in a scheduled 12-rounder. Divorced of any additional context, a graduating 10-round fighter trying to beat a pound-for-pound-level champion is an enormous ask. Oddsmakers have more faith in Hernandez, however, listing him at around a +610 underdog at the time of writing. Given his relatively colossal frame, there has always been the assumption that Nakatani would venture north of 122 one day. However, every fighter eventually reaches the point at which former advantages are no longer a factor, and Nakatani will be presented with the biggest physical test of his career in this bout. Prior to the win over Nishida, Nakatani and coach Rudy Hernandez spoke of working on upping his punch volume even more (he’s already one of the 10 most prolific champion-caliber volume punchers in the sport, according to CompuBox), perhaps understanding that as his size advantages diminish, he can compensate with additional effort. An even busier version of Nakatani is a frightening proposition. That said, Nakatani has shown flickers of vulnerability as well over the years, his own compulsion to attack and exchange naturally opening him up for counters. In Hernandez, he’ll encounter a terrific body-puncher, one who will no doubt target the midsection of Nakatani to see if he really has settled into 122 physically. If Nakatani can answer that question in the affirmative, then “Big Bang” will in all likelihood get his opportunity at The Monster – a chance to begin a new era with him as the superior species. 3. Kenshiro Teraji vs. Willibaldo Garcia IBF junior bantamweight title To put into perspective how significant, albeit quietly so, the career of Kenshiro Teraji has been in his country: Two of the four all-Japanese
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is one of the most offensively gifted talents the sport has ever seen, a rare being who does not have to negotiate between power, speed and accuracy. It’s the latter attribute that Inoue honed in on most recently, delivering a dazzling boxing performance in nearly shutting out Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September to ensure his long-rumored bout with Picasso – and even bigger fights – remained on the schedule. Picasso has been hovering at the top of the WBC rankings for over a year now awaiting this opportunity, most recently scoring a 10-round majority decision over Kyonosuke Kameda on the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios undercard. Outside of boxing, Picasso was once considered a legitimate prospect to play professional soccer and is an aspiring neuroscientist whose ultimate dream is to win the Nobel Prize. As a +1600 underdog coming into this fight on some sportsbooks, finding a way to defeat Inoue would be a Nobel- esque discovery in boxing terms. Luckily for Picasso, there have been glimmers of hope for prospective Inoue conquerors as of late. “The Monster” was dropped early by Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas in recent bouts, and in the final 10 seconds of his win over Akhmadaliev, Inoue was noticeably buzzed once more. In all likelihood, it’s the Nery and Cardenas scares and perhaps that
prospect of another jump in weight down the road that inspired the more judicious, defensively rooted approach Inoue adopted against Akhmadaliev. There is also the fact – one lost, given how soundly Inoue defeated him – that Akhmadaliev was considered by many to be the most legitimate threat to Inoue’s throne and most challenging technical puzzle remaining in the division, a hypothesis verified if only briefly in the fight’s waning moments. The question is whether Inoue will choose to show the same restraint against Picasso, or whether he will return to his bombs-away style. Either version of Inoue is a nightmare matchup for anyone, but it may be the more ferocious side that Picasso should wish for, as antithetical as that may sound. Picasso is a solid inside fighter whose power seems to have built over time, recently going on a streak of nine knockouts in 10 fights ahead of his career-best win over Azat “Crazy A” Hovhannisyan in 2024. Picasso has shown an excellent left hook throughout his career, creating torque with his lanky frame on the inside to land damaging shots. Inoue’s biggest weakness has been his own eagerness to hurt his opponent, entertain the fans, or both. Every so often, Inoue’s facial expressions will express annoyance that his foe is still
standing, the gaze of a supremely gifted individual who cannot fathom that his superpowers haven’t ended the night yet. It’s in these moments that Inoue is most frightening, when he turns into the “mean little shit” that Mike Tyson described him as on his podcast, but also when he could be most susceptible. If Picasso can capitalize on one of those moments, it would be one of the most shocking and significant wins in Mexican boxing history. But if he looks to capitalize and misses, he could be another frame on the still growing but already legendary Inoue highlight reel.
Hernandez, Ring Magazine’s No. 9-rated 122-pounder, continuing a trend of speedrunning through weight classes by jumping immediately into legitimate tests. It will be a rare occasion in which Nakatani will not be the taller fighter in the ring, after enjoying the fruits of a 5-foot-8 frame that just three years ago was somehow able to weigh 112 pounds, where he first reigned as a titleholder. At the world level, he has been beyond destructive, going 10-0 with nine knockouts in world title fights. Nakatani added to that tally with perhaps his career-best win last time out, mauling Ryosuke Nishida in a mostly one-sided firefight to become the Ring champion and unify the IBF and WBC bantamweight titles. In the 5-foot-9 Hernandez, Nakatani will find a fighter ready and capable of matching his 71.7 punch per round output. In his most recent outing, Hernandez overwhelmed the aforementioned and normally ultra-busy Hovhannisyan to score a 10-round decision, forcing “Crazy A” into a situation he has seldom, if ever, experienced, fighting with his back against the ropes for large portions of the later rounds. In this way, the parallels between the main event and the co-main persist. Like Picasso, Hovhannisyan
2. Junto Nakatani vs. Sebastian Hernandez
Junto Nakatani has been in the shadow of Naoya Inoue for the past few years, making a similar trek up in weight and chasing his spot as the country’s very best fighter. In another way, however, it is Nakatani’s shadow that is now enveloping Inoue to a degree as the specter of a showdown between the two at the Tokyo Dome in 2026 looms. It would be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history and overall maybe the country’s biggest combat sports event ever. Nakatani will move up to junior featherweight to face Sebastian
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