Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani
Boxing competition
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Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani, billed as The Day , was a super bantamweight undisputed championship professional boxing match contested between the reigning WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight champion, Naoya Inoue, and undefeated former three-weight world champion Junto Nakatani.[1] Inoue defeated Nakatani by UD to retain his undisputed super bantamweight titles. The bout took place on May 2, 2026 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.[2]
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| Date | May 2, 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring Super Bantamweight Champion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inoue wins by Unanimous Decision (116–112, 116–112, 115–113) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
Following Naoya Inoue's victory over Ramon Cardenas on 4 May 2025, discussions surrounding a potential fight with Junto Nakatani intensified. The two fighters had previously crossed paths at the Japanese Boxing Awards on 31 March 2025, where Inoue challenged Nakatani to a bout at the Tokyo Dome in 2026. Nakatani accepted the challenge, responding, "Let's do it." [3]
On 6 March 2026, it was officially announced that Inoue would defend his undisputed super bantamweight championship against undefeated Japanese challenger Junto Nakatani on 2 May 2026. The fight was confirmed as one of the most anticipated all-Japanese boxing matchups, with Nakatani moving up to the super bantamweight division in pursuit of a fourth world title. Both fighters entered the bout undefeated with identical records of 32–0, making the contest a major event in Japanese boxing history.[4]
Reception
The fight reportedly sold over 1 million PPV buys on Lemino. It also generated $32 million from ticket sales. The fight took place in front of a sell-out crowd of 55,000 fans, with additional money earned from sponsorships and advertising. The gate was ranked the 4th highest in boxing history.[5][6]
Fight card
| Weight class | vs. | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main card | ||||||||
| Super bantamweight | Naoya Inoue (c) | def. | Junto Nakatani | UD | 12 | 3:00 | Note 1 | |
| Bantamweight | Takuma Inoue (c) | def. | Kazuto Ioka | UD | 12 | 3:00 | Note 2 | |
| Featherweight | Toshiki Shimomachi | def. | Reiya Abe | MD | 10 | 3:00 | ||
| Welterweight | Jin Sasaki | def. | Sora Tanaka | SD | 10 | 3:00 | Note 3 | |
| Flyweight | Kosuke Tomioka | draw | Shogo Tanaka | SD | 10 | 3:00 | ||
| Super middleweight | Yuito Moriwaki | def. | Deok No Yun | SD | 10 | 3:00 | ||
| Super bantamweight | Yoshiki Takei | def. | DeKang Wang | MD | 8 | 3:00 | ||
^Note 1 For the undisputed super bantamweight championship, including the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring titles
^Note 2 For the WBC bantamweight title
^Note 3 For the OPBF welterweight title