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Naoya Inoue Confirms His Interest in US Superfight After Nakatani: ‘Yes, I Would Beat Him’

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Naoya Inoue confirms his interest in US super fight after Nakatani: “Yes I’d beat him”

This weekend, Naoya Inoue will fight the iconic fight with Junto Nakatani, which will be the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing. After this potentially legacy-defining fight, “The Monster” wants another huge fight.

Inoue ruled in four weight classes and if she was successful, she was linked with a featherweight debut on Saturday, he defended his undisputed super bantamweight crown against Nakatani.

However, the 32-year-old revealed that his bout with Nakatani will be his second to last at 122 pounds and he plans to stay at heavyweight for one more fight in the division, even though it looks like he’s already gotten over it.

As a result, there have been rumors that Inoue could face unified super flyweight champion and fellow pound-for-pound star Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – who makes his bantamweight debut against Antonio Vargas in June – before moving up to featherweight and being out of the Texan’s reach.

In the game of “yes or no” with DAZN BoxingInoue confirmed his interest in a fight with Rodriguez and boldly predicted that he would win against the undefeated 26-year-old southerner.

“Yes, [I would love to fight Jesse Rodriguez]”

“[Would I beat him?] Yes.”

Rodriguez will become a three-division champion if he can beat Vargas on Saturday, June 13, but he will usurp Inoue as pound-for-pound king if he were to hand the Japanese sensation the first defeat of his career – provided Nakatani doesn’t do it next Saturday at the Tokyo Dome.

“Bam” Rodriguez also expressed his interest in the fight, saying he would take it without hesitation if one came up. With boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh close to both men, it might just be possible.

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Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj Live Results and Fight Updates

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"Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj Live Results and Fight Updates"

Sebastian Fundora (25-1-1, 17 KOs) stopped Ermal Hadribeaj (23-1-1, 8 KOs) at 2:59 of the 12th round to retain his WBC junior middleweight title for the fourth time. Hadribeaj made the early rounds competitive by getting low, forcing his way inside and landing hard shots while denying the champion room to use his reach.

Short punches, uppercuts and a sustained body attack helped Fundora take control as he began outworking the challenger at close range. Referee Thomas Taylor deducted points from Hadribeaj for holding in the third and 11th rounds as the challenger increasingly tried to tie up the busier champion.

With just one second remaining, a left hand dropped Hadribeaj and brought the fight to an end after Fundora’s pressure and body punching had worn him down.

Super middleweight Armando Resendiz (17-3, 11 KOs) defeated Koen Mazoudier (16-5-1, 6 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision in a hard-fought fight. The judges scored it 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93, giving Resendiz a wider victory than the competitive action suggested.

Mazoudier kept coming forward and throwing, making Resendiz work at close range and enjoying success through the middle rounds. Resendiz answered with the heavier punches, hurting the Australian with right hands and left hooks as the two traded throughout.

A sustained attack in the final round left Mazoudier reeling and close to being stopped, but he survived and continued firing back until the bell. Resendiz earned his first victory since losing to Jaime Munguia, while Mazoudier made him fight for it in his U.S. debut.

Marco Romero (16-0, 14 KOs) stopped Braulio Matias Ferreira (8-4, 3 KOs) in the first round of their scheduled eight-round super middleweight fight. The 20-year-old Romero immediately pressed the attack, digging to the body and landing right hands upstairs at close range.

A right hand and left hook to the body helped set up a sweeping right to the chin that dropped Ferreira hard into the ropes. Ferreira beat the count, but he was in no condition to continue, prompting the referee to stop the fight. Romero gave the veteran little chance to settle, keeping him under attack throughout the brief contest. It was the Kansas prospect’s third consecutive first-round stoppage.

Super middleweight Jaime Enrique Osuna Diaz (12-0, 5 KOs) kept his unbeaten record with an eight-round majority decision over Cristian Cangelosi (13-1-1, 5 KOs). The judges scored the competitive bout 77-75, 77-75 and 76-76 on the Sebastian Fundora–Ermal Hadribeaj undercard.

Osuna applied pressure from the start, using his activity and body punching to make Cangelosi work. His best round came in the fifth, when he hurt Cangelosi twice with straight right hands but crowded his own punches while trying to finish.

Cangelosi fought back and had a strong seventh round, landing a big shot to keep the outcome in doubt heading into the eighth. Neither fighter scored a knockdown, with Osuna’s pressure and cleaner work in key stretches earning him the narrow victory.

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Tony Bellew Analyzes Daniel Dubois Knockout Victory Over Fabio Wardley in Rematch

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Tony Bellew Analyzes Daniel Dubois' Knockout Victory Over Fabio Wardley in Rematch

Daniel Dubois sent out a big statement to the rest of the heavyweight division after his knockout win over Fabio Wardley.

The two British heavyweights met at The O2 Arena on Saturday in one of the most anticipated rematches of the year, following on from their epic first battle back in May.

On that occasion, ‘DDD’ had to recover from two early knockdowns to earn the 11th round TKO win to become WBO heavyweight champion, but it was a much more dominant display from Dubois this time around.

The rematch saw ‘DDD’ drop Wardley inside the opening 20 seconds of the bout, before landing even more heavy shots over the next several minutes, forcing the referee to stop the action in the second round as Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title.

Ahead of the bout, one man that was picking Wardley to cause the upset and be victorious was former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, who felt that the Ipswich man was going to get the job done inside six rounds.

Bellew was happy to hold his hands up and admit he was wrong though, as he posted on social media to heap praise on Dubois for his triumph.

“Demolition! Well done to Daniel Dubois.”

Following his win, Dubois has already made it clear who he wants to target next, revealing in his post-fight interview that he wants to meet IBF champion Filip Hrgovic in a unification, in what would be a rematch after ‘DDD’ won their first encounter back in June 2024.

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Daniel Dubois Aims for Title Showdown After Stunning Wardley Knockout

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"Daniel Dubois Aims for Title Showdown After Stunning Wardley Knockout"

Daniel Dubois has wasted no time making his intentions known after his destructive win over Fabio Wardley in their rematch.

The pair went head-to-head at The O2 Arena in London, five months on from their first meeting when Dubois defeated Wardley by 11th round TKO to win the WBO heavyweight title.

It was a much quicker win this time around, with ‘DDD’ dropping Wardley inside the opening 20 seconds of the contest, before continuing the onslaught and earning the second round knockout victory to retain his WBO belt.

Dubois has already named his next target after his win, revealing in his post-fight press conference that he now wants a unification showdown with IBF champion Filip Hrgovic.

“I want to have a rematch with him and get that belt. I want to rule the division. Another win and another scalp. I’m the champion now and I want some big fights now.”

Dubois and Hrgovic have already met back in June 2024, claiming the eighth round stoppage win after the Croatian couldn’t continue due to cuts above both of his eyes.

‘DDD’ went on to become IBF champion after that fight, but he would go on to lose that title to Oleksandr Usyk. After the Ukrainian vacated his belt earlier this year, Hrgovic claimed it with his dramatic win over Moses Itauma in August.

It means Dubois and Hrgovic could now meet in a rematch in 2027, though Hrgovic may have to deal with mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez first, with that bout potentially taking place in Croatia early next year.

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