Boxing: Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani to Be Held on May 2

Unbeaten boxing stars Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani will square off on May 2 at Tokyo Dome, according to published reports on Tuesday, February 24.

Japan's top fighters have spoken about the possibility of a blockbuster showdown over the past few years.

Nakatani made his super bantamweight debut against Mexico's Sebastian Reyes on December 27, 2025, in Riyadh. He won a 12-round unanimous decision on the undercard of Inoue's latest title defense. Later that night, "Monster" Inoue outpointed Alan Picasso.

Nakatani owns a 32-0 career record in pro boxing, including 24 knockouts.

With his latest win, Inoue improved to 32-0 with 27 stoppages.

*Naoya Inoue (left) punches Murodjon Akhmadaliev in the seventh round of their super bantamweight title fight on September 14, 2025, at IG Arena in Nagoya. (©KYODO)*

A High-Profile Boxing Invitation

Inoue and Nakatani have been on a collision course to stand toe-to-toe in the same ring.

At a Japan Boxing Commission awards ceremony in March 2025, the subject of a future Inoue-Nakatani fight grabbed the spotlight.

Speaking to the assembled crowd, Inoue called it "the big domestic match that lots of fans and people around the sport have been talking about."

Inoue continued, "Mr Nakatani, a year later at Tokyo Dome, let's lift the mood around Japanese boxing together."

What was Nakatani's response?

"Sure, let's do it."

*Former WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (right) closes in on a third-round knockout of David Cuellar in their title bout on February 24, 2025, at Tokyo's Ariake Arena. (©SANKEI)*

After his most recent fight in Saudi Arabia, Inoue didn't announce an official date for a bout against Nakatani. But he mentioned it in a post-fight interview.

"Both of us had a very good win tonight," Inoue said on DAZN. "We will have to wait and see. But for the Japanese fans, you can expect something very good."

Boxing History at Tokyo Dome

James "Buster" Douglas, a 42-1 underdog, shocked the world with a 10th-round KO victory over previously unbeaten Mike Tyson in February 1990 at Tokyo Dome.

After that, pro boxing wasn't held at the "Big Egg" for decades. The sport returned to the cavernous venue, home of NPB's Yomiuri Giants, in May 2024, when Inoue faced Mexico's Luis Nery in the marquee bout of a fight card.

On that day, Inoue retained his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight title straps with a sixth-round TKO of Nery.

Inoue, who turns 33 on April 10, is currently ranked second on The Ring's pound-for-pound top 10 list.

Nakatani, who celebrated his 28th birthday on January 2, is No 7.