Naoya Inoue Aims To Take Care Of Murodjon Akhmadaliev This Month And Then Fight Again Before The End Of The Year
Not only is Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue the best (or one of the best, depending on your view) pound-for-pound fighters out there right now, the reigning super-bantamweight champion is also one of the most active elite-level fighters of the sport. Inoue, perfect at 30-0(27), has already boxed twice this year – with “The Monster” stopping Kim Ye-joon in January and then halting Ramon Cardenas in a thriller in May.
And if all goes to plan, the future Hall of Famer will fight twice more before the year comes to an end. As fans know and are excited about, Inoue will defend his four 122 pound belts against WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev, 14-1(11) on September 14, and now, as per a post from Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN, Inoue is set to fight again on December 27th.
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev: danger before December
As per Rodriguez’s post, Mexican fighter Alan David Picasso (who was set to fight Inoue some months back, but was deemed too inexperienced at the time, this by his team, headed by Erik Morales) has signed on to face Inoue two days after Christmas Day.
Of course, it goes without saying that if “MJ,” who some people do see as Inoue’s toughest foe in quite some time, scores the upset, Picasso will not get his chance against Inoue. Not only would a defeat to Akhmadaliev see to it that Inoue would have to change his plans, but it is possible a tough, perhaps physically punishing fight with the hugely confident and determined warrior from Uzbekistan could also force Inoue to change his schedule (a little over three months between fights isn’t that much time, after all).
Could Picasso or Nakatani join Inoue’s December showcase?
And to repeat, some experts do think “MJ” could beat Inoue, maybe even by KO or stoppage. The September 14 fight could prove to be one in which Inoue has to dig down and show us his absolute greatness. But Inoue is so great, he is so special, he could get Akhmadaliev out of there inside a few rounds. If so, Picasso, 32-0-1(17) will get his shot. And, interestingly, with an all-Japanese super-fight between Inoue and Junto Nakatani firmly in the works for next year (again, providing Inoue keeps a clean sheet and isn’t upset in the meantime, nor Nakatani, come to that), there is a chance Nakatani, 31-0(24) and yet to make his 122 pound debut, could feature on the Inoue-Picasso card.
Indeed, Naoya Inoue is as active as he is magnificent. And, at age 32, Inoue doesn’t figure to slow down any time soon.