Boxing’s worst kept secret has now been confirmed – Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KO) and Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KO) will meet on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship.

The all-Japan clash was formally announced at a press conference in Japan. The fight will be broadcast live on Lemino pay-per-view; US distribution rights have not yet been announced.

Inoue – ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer – is coming off an impressive 2025 in which he competed four times, defeating Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev and David Picasso. Thanks to Inoue’s unanimous decision victory over Picasso in December, Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez in the second fight of the night in a tougher-than-expected fight. Their victories set up a long-awaited clash between two of Japan’s best players.

Nakatani is ranked No. 6 pound-for-pound by ESPN and will look to become a four-division champion after winning world titles at bantamweight, junior bantamweight and flyweight. Although Nakatani narrowly won his junior featherweight debut in a grueling fight against Hernandez, Nakatani proved he was one of the best fighters in the world and had a powerful showing in 2025, winning 3-0.

The Undercard will feature Inoue’s younger brother Takuma defending his WBC bantamweight title against former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka.

Jai Opetai’s fight against Brandon Glanton is still moving forward, but veteran reporter Dan Rafael says the issue that caused the IBF title to be removed from the fight had to do with how the belt was presented during fight week. Rafael reported that IBF president Daryl Peoples believes that the organization’s title was shown as secondary to Zuffa’s belt during a recent press conference.

This explanation makes the argument about the presentation rather than the match itself. Rafael wrote that Peoples objected to the way the belts were arranged at the press, with Zuffa’s belt posed for the cameras while Opetaia held the IBF title rather than raising it in the usual manner towards the audience.

Click here to sign up for our FREE newsletter

Related boxing news:

Last update: 2026/03/07 at 15:51

Ryan Garcia has named one opponent he’s eager to face next, even though that particular fighter is negotiating for another opportunity.

The 27-year-old scored a dominant victory over Mario Barrios, whom he defeated in the first round, and then announced a unanimous verdict.

In this way, Garcia dethroned his fighter and became the WBC welterweight champion, securing his first victory since 2023.

Indeed, many took issue with the fact that “King Ry,” who suffered a unanimous decision loss to Rolando Romero last May, was given an immediate title shot against Barrios.

Previously in April 2024, Garcia tested positive twice for the banned substance ostarine, causing his majority victory over Devin Haney to be declared a no contest.

Garcia was also given a one-year ban by the Modern York State Athletic Commission, but is now considered one of the sport’s best-selling champions.

And while it has yet to be confirmed what the American will do next, it appears that a rematch with WBO welterweight champion Haney is at the top of his list.

Moving on to social mediaGarcia expressed interest in their potential unification match.

“I want to make this clear. If we can figure this out, I will fight this fight next. Point to blank period. #GarciaHaney2.”

Although Haney has also previously expressed interest in their possible rematch, it now appears that the 27-year-old will likely enter a unification fight with Romero.

There are rumors that “The Dream” will face his WBA counterpart on May 30, with the fight set to be headlined at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.