Inoue and Nakatani to face off for title on May 2 at Tokyo Dome
The long-anticipated matchup has been officially confirmed as Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) are set to face each other on May 2 at Tokyo Dome for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight title.
The highly awaited bout was officially revealed during a press conference in Japan. The event will be broadcast live on Lemino pay-per-view, while U.S. broadcasting rights are still pending announcement.
Inoue, ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound list, is coming off a remarkable 2025, where he fought four times, achieving victories over Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and David Picasso. His unanimous decision victory against Picasso in December also featured Nakatani in the co-main event, where he narrowly defeated Sebastian Hernandez in a challenging contest. Their victories have set the stage for this eagerly awaited encounter between Japan’s top two fighters.
Nakatani, positioned at No. 6 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, aims to secure a title in a fourth weight class after previously holding championships at bantamweight, junior bantamweight, and flyweight. Despite a hard-fought win in his junior featherweight debut against Hernandez, Nakatani has established himself as one of the elite fighters globally, finishing 2025 with a record of 3-0.
The undercard will showcase Inoue’s younger brother, Takuma, as he defends his WBC bantamweight title against former four-division champion Kazuto Ioka.
