Head coach Rudy Hernandez clearly remembers the moment Junto Nakatani revealed the level of power he experienced from Naoya Inoue’s punches.

The two Japanese stars faced each other in the highly anticipated matchup earlier this month, which took place at the sold-out Tokyo Dome stadium in front of approximately 55,000 fans.

Many expected Inoue to retain his undisputed super bantamweight crown as the ponderous favorite, but his dominance in the early rounds came as a surprise to most.

At last, “The Monster” scored a clear unanimous decision victorybut was forced to overcome Nakatani’s attack between rounds seven and ten.

At this point, “Large Bang” suddenly came to life after his much more measured approach in the previous rounds, and he seemed to no longer respect his opponent’s power.

According to his coach, Hernandez, it was a key moment that, if it had come earlier, could have been enough to secure a points victory.

Anyway, the experienced trainer said Boxing Scene what Nakatani thought about Inoue’s strength, while believing that a potential rematch with Inoue would surely go their way, being so confident in Nakatani’s abilities that he promised to retire if he was proven wrong.

“If we don’t beat it [Inoue] in a rematch, I will never coach players again. I will retire. I’m leaving because I truly believe we’ll kick Inoue’s ass in the rematch.

“The moment Junto told me [Inoue] doesn’t hit as difficult, it was a game changer. I wish he had told me that in the second or third round.

Hernandez adds that regardless of their earlier head clash, Inoue’s uppercut in round 11 ultimately broke Nakatani’s orbital bone.

From there, the three-weight world champion put up an uphill battle to complete the full 12 rounds, let alone pull off a major upset.

According to a statement issued Wednesday by BZA PR on behalf of the promotion, the planned exhibition of Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather has been postponed to the fall of 2026 after Tyson suffered a broken arm during training.

The release stated that Tyson, who was photographed in a cast, is recovering and intends to continue fighting once he heals. He described the delay as a brief postponement and said the date, location and broadcast plans for FIGHT SPORTS would be announced soon. According to information, the exhibition was last scheduled for May 30 under agreements with CSI Sports and FIGHT SPORTS.

The fight between the two former champions was first announced in September 2024, and was originally planned for spring 2026. In the following months, the fight took place on several proposed dates and locations without a confirmed broadcaster. The planned date for April 25 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not materialize. Veteran reporter Dan Rafael wrote in March that the fight “definitely won’t happen on that date,” citing a source familiar with the plans.

Tyson’s advisor, Amer Abdallah, said Boxing news in April that the contract remained valid and that he believed the fight would continue. Tyson himself admitted that he injured his hand earlier this year.

Tyson (59) last competed in November 2024, when he returned to the professional ring and lost by decision to Jake Paul. Mayweather, who retired with a professional record of 50-0, has not fought professionally since stopping Conor McGregor in 2017, although he still competes in exhibition fights. Mayweather has separately confirmed a June 27 fight against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis in Athens and is linked to a September rematch with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.

CSI Sports, founded by Richard and Craig Miele in 1997, owns the rights to a catalog of championship boxing events and operates the FIGHT SPORTS network. The company said it would debut the up-to-date technology in 2026, without providing further details.

So the question is: what options does injured player Rico Verhoeven have to appeal against the referee’s decision? Under the rules of the World Boxing Council (WBC), the sanctioning body for boxing, the Council has the power to correct sedate injustices suffered by aggrieved fighters during major world title fights. Moreover, there is precedent in this case. In 2022, the WBC officially awarded the super featherweight world championship belt to Jeff Fenech, 30 years after his controversial 1991 defeat to Azumah Nelson.

Of course, it would be foolish to suggest that Verhoeven should wait 30 years to make amends and win the world heavyweight title. It can therefore be argued that the WBC Board of Governors should now call a Special Meeting to discuss the Usyk vs. Verhoeven world title fight due to the confusion the result has caused among commentators, fans and even fighters. Everyone is united that this fight was stopped too early.

It is worth noting that current WBC welterweight world champion Ryan Garcia, who was at ringside, claims that the fight was stopped after the end of the 11th round. Others wrote the same on YouTube, with one irate fan even suggesting that the Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight was rigged.

There is a belief, rightly or wrongly, that it would be unacceptable for a professional kickboxer with only one professional fight as a heavyweight boxer to defeat a reigning world heavyweight boxing champion with significantly more heavyweight boxing experience. In tiny, boxing would be seen as a joke in the eyes of many if Verhoeven was allowed to beat Usyk.

But facts are facts. After round 10, the three judges’ scorecards were 95-95, 95-95 and 96-94 in favor of Rico Verhoeven. Round 11 does not count because it was not completed properly and the referee wrongly stopped the fight after the bell.

Politics is present in every workplace. It would be a pity if politics also appeared in professional boxing. To counter this impression, the WBC must do the right thing. A No Contest verdict for this fight will not be enough as it will leave Oleksandr Usyk as the WBC champion. Something more radical needs to be done.

The WBC needs to convince the outside world that anyone can become heavyweight champion of the world if given the opportunity. The WBC sanctioned this boxing fight.

Verhoeven won on points. At the end of the 11th round, Verhoeven was still in doubt. The fight was unfairly stopped. The conclusion is therefore straightforward and will mark a progressive step in professional boxing.

Rico Verhoeven is the modern world heavyweight boxing champion. But it would have sounded better if Michael Buffer had been allowed to make this announcement.

Romer Cherubiny
Independent journalist
Great Britain