As fight fans know, it’s tradition for a big, sometimes stacked card to take place in Japan around the Christmas holidays, or on New Year’s Eve itself. This year, we fans will still get the stacked card, this on December 27th – but the action will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As has been reported by The Ring, Japanese superstars Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, two great fighters who are on a collision course for next year, will co-headline a card dubbed ‘Night of the Samurai.’ Inoue, fresh off his absolutely superb and dominant showing against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, will face unbeaten Mexican warrior Alan David Picasso in defence of his four super-bantamweight titles, while Nakatani will box his 122 pound debut against Sebastian Hernandez Reyes, who is himself undefeated.
Inoue Risks His Belts Against Undefeated Picasso
“The Monster” showed in the Akhmadaliev showcase that he is still very much at the top of his game, and he now risks his belts along with his 31-0(27) record against Picasso, who is 32-0-1(17) but will be taking a huge step up in class against Inoue. Nakatani, who has vacated his bantamweight honours, is currently 31-0(24), while Hernandez Reyes is 20-0(18).
In addition to these two fights, which will serve as an appetiser for the aforementioned all-Japanese super fight we all hope to see next year, Kenshiro Teraji, recently dethroned by Ricardo Sandoval in a great fight at flyweight, will challenge IBF super-flyweight champ Willibaldo Garcia, this as “The Amazing Boy” attempts to become a three-weight world champion.
A Packed Undercard Featuring Dickens and Rising Prospects
Teraji is 25-2(16), while Garcia is currently 23-6-2(13). And if this wasn’t enough, there will be another title fight that night, with Jazza Dickens set to defend his WBA interim belt at 130 pounds, this against Hayato Tsutsumi. Dickens is 36-5(15), while Tsutsumi is unbeaten at 8-0(5). And finally, for good measure, unbeaten lightweights Taiga Imanaga, 9-0(5) and Armando Martinez Rabi, 16-0(15) will collide, and prospect Reito Tsutsumi, 3-0(2) will fight Leobardo Sanchez, 11-1(5).
Now, this is some strong card to look forward to.
Inoue, who is not only one of the top two or three pound-for-pound best fighters in the world today, is also one of the most active, with the December bout to be his fourth appearance this year. Inoue and Nakatani are expected to take care of business against the respective opponents, before the drum will really be banged in earnest regarding the two modern greats facing each other in 2026.