In the biggest Japanese boxing match of this generation, Naoya Inoue beat Junto Nakatani on Saturday, handing his compatriot the first loss of his professional career.
Inoue secured a unanimous-decision victory at the Tokyo Dome, retaining the undisputed super-bantamweight titles and preserving his unbeaten record.
Both Inoue, 33, and Nakatani, 28, entered the super-fight with perfect records and as multi-weight world champions, but it was the “Monster” who solidified his already-remarkable legacy with another victory.
Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) earned scorecards of 116-112, 115-113, 116-112, extending his current title reign – which has followed an undisputed run at bantamweight, and previous title wins at light-flyweight and super-flyweight.
Meanwhile, Nakatani won gold at flyweight and super-flyweight before becoming unified bantamweight champion, a reign that gave way to his super-bantamweight debut in December. Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs) struggled on that night, sustaining considerable damage in a razor-close win over Sebastian Hernandez Reyes, at the same event where Inoue eased past David Picasso.
And against the finest opposition that the division could offer, Nakatani came up short on Saturday, suffering the same fate as every other foe that Inoue has faced.
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