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Naoya Inoue to face undefeated American star now ‘inevitable’: ‘One of the biggest fights in boxing’

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Naoya Inoue facing undefeated US star now ‘inevitable’: “One of the biggest fights in boxing”

Eddie Hearn has named one fight that he believes is “inevitable” for Naoya Inoue, who must first defend his undisputed super bantamweight crown against Junto Nakatani.

Their all-Japanese clash will take place on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome and is expected to be attended by 55,000 spectators.

Such is the level of intrigue surrounding their meeting, which many believe will be the toughest test of Inoue’s career to date.

Up to this point, “The Monster” was winning most of his fights in one-sided fashion while remaining the undisputed champion of two divisions.

Of course, he suffered knockdowns against Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas, but he ultimately rose to the top and won both fights by stoppage.

Even in his first meeting with Nonito Donairein 2019, Inoue showed tremendous courage and cunning to ultimately emerge victorious by unanimous decision.

Against Nakatani, the 33-year-old may have to overcome similar periods of adversity, but he is clearly favored to retain his four major 122-pound titles.

Meanwhile, there is hope that he will finally face the Japanese star Jesse Rodriguez, who will fight for the three-division world title against WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas on June 13.

If ‘Bam’ wins, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn will likely extend his contract his conversations with Turki Alalshikh about a potential Inoue fight.

“There [have] preliminary talks took place with [Alalshikh] about Inoue vs. “Bam” and I truly think this fight is inevitable.

“I don’t think it will necessarily happen immediately after the Vargas fight, but it could happen in the next two or three fights.

“This is probably one of the biggest fights in boxing. ‘Bam’ likes the idea.”

Moving up to 118 pounds for his next fight, Rodruguez remains the unified super flyweight world champion and can therefore pursue an undisputed clash with the winner of the Willibaldo Garcia vs. Andrew Moloney fight on June 6.

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Gervonta Davis is currently fighting to return to one of the biggest fights in American boxing: “His team reached out”

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Gervonta Davis now pursuing one of the biggest fights in US boxing for comeback: “His team reached out”

The future of Gervonta Davis remains one of the most talked about topics in boxing.

The Baltimore star hasn’t fought since a controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr., which many observers felt should have gone against him after Roach was denied a knockout. Since then, a combination of legal issues and uncertainty surrounding his return plans have left fans confused about what will happen next.

Recently, however, there have been signs that “Tank” Davis is getting closer to a return. The WBA has ordered him to defend his lightweight world title against mandatory challenger Floyd Schofield, with Schofield’s camp previously suggesting progress was being made behind the scenes.

While Schofield was considered the favorite, another familiar option could now emerge.

On Sunday evening on social media, three-division world champion Devin Haney revealed that he was contacted directly by the “Tanka” team.

“I think Gervonta has gained some balls…his team has reached! We can just fight!”

The timing is especially engaging given Haney’s current position. The WBO welterweight champion has recently been linked to both Shakur Stevenson and mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis, while “Tank’s” immediate future appeared to be tied to Schofield.

A fight between any two fighters: Davis, Haney and Stevenson would be one of the biggest fights in boxing today. However, there are two main obstacles standing in the way of a Davis-Haney fight.

The first is Haney’s mandatory duty. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri recently confirmed that the champion has been ordered to face Keyshawn Davis next and will not receive an exception to fight another fight.

The second, and perhaps bigger, issue for Davis is weight. “Tank” is the most comfortable lightweight campaign, while Haney now looks like a legitimate welterweight, even though he has only had one fight in the division so far. He seemed open to offering a catchweight of 144 pounds to fight Stevenson, but even that would be a significant disadvantage to Davis.

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Devin Haney says Gervonta Davis’ team has made contact and declines to discuss the hydration clause

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Image: Devin Haney Says Gervonta Davis' Team Reached Out, Rejects Rehydration Clause Talk

Devin Haney says that after years of calls for a fight, a fight with Gervonta Davis may finally be closer to reality.

Haney revealed on social media that Tank Davis’ team recently reached out about a potential fight. When the fan responded by warning him not to agree to any hydration restrictions, Haney quickly dismissed the idea.


“Never,” Haney repeated X about not wanting to agree to the rehydration clause.

The response came shortly after Haney suggested that discussions had begun between the two sides.

“I think Gervonta has gained some balls. His team has reached! We can just fight! 😅– Haney wrote.

The fight between Haney and Gervonta is one of the longest unanswered questions in boxing. Haney continued to fight multiple times during his lightweight title fight, but the fight never materialized despite years of public calls and fan demands.

San Francisco-born Haney became the undisputed lightweight champion in 2022, and Davis continued to build his profile as one of boxing’s biggest pay-per-view attractions.

Haney’s rejection of rehydration clauses will likely become a talking point if negotiations move forward. Hydration restrictions became a major topic of debate ahead of Tank’s 2023 fight with Ryan Garcia, with many fans criticizing the terms of the deal.

Devin has recently been linked to potential fights against Ryan Garcia, Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis. His latest comments put Gervonta Davis back into the conversation after years of failed attempts to make the fight happen.

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Categories Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis

Last updated: 22/06/2026 at 17:07

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Promoter Naoyi Inoue Confirms Target Opponent and Schedule: ‘I’m Sure You Can Guess’

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Naoya Inoue’s next mandatory challenger set to be determined in interim title fight

Last month Inoue defeated fellow Japanese star Nakatani, in the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing and one of the most anticipated fights on the 2026 boxing calendar.

Od tego czasu uwaga skupiła się na Jesse’m Rodriguezie, który w momencie niedawnego zwycięstwa Inoue był posiadaczem trzech tytułów mistrza świata w wadze super muszej. “Bam” vacated the belts and secured the WBA bantamweight world title after a knockout victory over Antonio Vargas. Trener Amerykanina, Robert Garcia, zasugerował, że stoczą jeszcze jedną walkę w tej wadze, zanim ponownie przejdą do walki i rzucą wyzwanie Inoue.

I’m talking to Yahoo Japan

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