Inoue vs Nakatani Undisputed Showdown Set for May 2

Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani was confirmed late last week, as the two will be facing off for an undisputed showdown on May 2. The spectacle is set to take place at Tokyo Dome, making this a hometown matchup for both fighters. Naoya "The Monster" Inoue is considered by many to be a top two pound-for-pound fighter in the world. This status comes after a stellar 2025 from the champion, defending his undisputed status four times in a calendar year. "The Monster" was able to defeat the likes of Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and David Picasso. Inoue's exceptional career has seen him in a world title fight since 2014, when he defeated Adrian Hernandez to become WBC light flyweight champion. Inoue has since become champions in three additional weight classes over the last twelve years.

Junto Nakatani is a three division champion who, like Inoue, is from Japan. Nakatani first won a title in 2020, defeating Giemel Magramo to become WBO flyweight champion. He has since won titles at super flyweight, and bantamweight. In late 2025, Nakatani vacated his WBC, IBF, and the Ring bantamweight titles to pursue an undisputed title shot against Inoue at junior featherweight. Nakatani fought his first junior featherweight bout against Sebastian Fernandez on the undercard of Inoue vs Picasso on Dec 27, 2025. This was a non title fight and helped set the stage for the undisputed showdown between the two Japanese superstars.

Takuma Inoue, Naoya Inoues brother, will be the co-main event for the night. Takuma is a two time bantamweight champion, having previously held the WBA bantamweight title from 2023 to 2024. Takuma Inoue will be defending his WBC bantamweight title against yet another decorated Japanese fighter, Kazuto Ioka. Ioka is a four division world champion himself, having won titles from minimumweight to super flyweight. He is the nephew of legendary flyweight champion Hiroki Ioka.

Takuma Inoue, Naoya Inoues brother, will be the co-main event for the night. Takuma is a two time bantamweight champion, having previously held the WBA bantamweight title from 2023 to 2024. Takuma Inoue will be defending his WBC bantamweight title against yet another decorated Japanese fighter, Kazuto Ioka. Ioka is a four division world champion himself, having won titles from minimumweight to super flyweight. He is the nephew of legendary flyweight champion Hiroki Ioka.