I f you’re going to travel 6,000 miles over a period of 24 hours, then it really has to be worth it. That amount of travel, particularly if you don’t sleep on flights, is one serious endurance test. Well, my assignment was to cover Naoya Inoue’s Ring Magazine and undisputed junior featherweight championship defense against WBA interim titleholder Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev in Nagoya, Japan. Trust me, it was worth it. Inoue, of course, won the fight, which took place at the newly erected 17,000-seat IG Arena on September 14. It was a tidy, disciplined and cerebral display from the Japanese hero, who morphed from “The Monster” to the marksman in order to overcome the former unified world titleholder by 12-round unanimous decision. The result itself is what I expected long before I set foot in Japan, but the trip turned up plenty of surprises – some good, some slightly crazy, and one altogether heartbreaking. NIPPON This was my second trip to “The Land of the Rising Sun.” In November 2019, I traveled to Saitama for Inoue’s World Boxing Super Series final against Nonito Donaire. Despite it being the trip of a lifetime, my expectations for that fight were actually pretty low. Inoue was hitting his peak, whereas I felt the 36-year- old Donaire was an accident waiting to happen. I should have known better. In defeat, the great Donaire took Inoue to the depths of hell, cracking his right orbital bone with a left hook and hurting him on several occasions throughout the course of a ferocious 12-rounder. Inoue was rightfully awarded a unanimous decision that night, but it was the first time that an opponent forced him to showcase his greatness. The Ring’s 2019 Fight of the Year was the best fight I’ve ever seen live. Inoue would win his next 11 fights, all by knockout, and claimed two undisputed championships before signing on to face Akhmadaliev. His fame and following had grown exponentially at home and abroad, so when I came across innumerable digital fight posters and video billboards in train stations, bus stations and on the streets of Nagoya, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised. Inoue has earned the big buildup. GETTING LUCKY On Thursday evening of fight week, I headed down to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Moments later, I received an email from Masa Ueda, who works for Teiken Promotions in a PR capacity. Masa asked if I was in Nagoya, and I answered in the affirmative. He then explained that he thought he’d seen me in the restaurant but wasn’t sure. Moments later, he came over to my table and quickly informed me that MJ was in the same hotel. I asked Masa if he could help me arrange an interview, and within an hour, I was speaking to the challenger in the lobby. Masa, as diligent a professional as one could ever meet, is a great person to know. When Akhmadaliev approached, I was immediately struck by how good he looked. There’s a difference between being in the presence of a fit and healthy person and an elite-level athlete.
SIX DAYS IN NAGOYA
THE RING WAS ON LOCATION TO SOAK UP THE EXPERIENCE OF WATCHING JAPANESE HERO NAOYA INOUE TAKE ON MURODJON AKHMADALIEV By Tom Gray
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