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Naoya Inoue: Junto Nakatani super fight is coming but focused on Alan Picasso
One of the biggest global fights in 2026 is undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani.
Before that fight can become a reality, Inoue and Nakatani have separate fights at The Ring V: Night of the Samurai’ on Saturday, December 27, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - broadcast live on DAZN. Inoue puts his titles on the line against Alan Picasso. On the other hand, Nakatani makes his debut at the weight class when he takes on Sebastian Hernandez Reyes.
On Friday, Inoue and Nakatani sat side by side at a press conference at the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo to promote the card.
Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) fully understands that Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) is the fight people want to see. But first things first, and that's December 27.
“I’m going to show you Picasso’s style; my style to adjust to Picasso," Inoue said at the press conference. "My impression is he’s a very aggressive fighter, so it’s not going to be an easy fight, but I’ll do my best.
“First, I need to concentrate on the upcoming match with Picasso. Then, followed by the big match scheduled next year. Then, after that, I need to talk to my team about what we’re gonna do next – step by step, we’ll discuss that within the team.”
After the presser concluded, boxing fans got a little appetizer of what could come after December 27 as Inoue and Nakatani stood by next to one another for photos and videos from the press.
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