Inoue, Nakatani book fights with eye on ’26 clash

Naoya Inoue has booked his fourth fight of the year just days after he successfully defended his undisputed junior featherweight championship against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

Inoue will take on Mexico’s Alan David Picasso on Dec. 27 at Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it was announced Thursday. The co-main event of the card, which has been tabbed “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai,” will see Junto Nakatani put his WBC and IBF bantamweight titles on the line against Sebastian Hernandez.

If Inoue and Nakatani win their respective fights, the expectation is that they will meet in a massive showdown in 2026.

Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs), who scored a wide decision over Akhmadaliev on Sunday, hasn’t been this active since 2013, just one year into his professional career. He has defeated Ki Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas and Ahkmadaliev in 2025 and looks to add Picasso to his list of conquered opponents. Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) last fought in July when he won a majority decision over Kyonosuke Kameda in a 10-round fight.

Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) has fought twice in 2025 thus far with stoppages of Ryosuke Nishida and David Cuellar Contreras. He has actively pursued a showdown with Inoue and will get his chance if he can take out Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs).