UK Boxing
Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – results and post-fight report
Naoya Inoue successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight crown in Tokyo, Japan, defeating Junto Nakatani.
All three judges scored Inoue’s goal in the win against Nakatani being there and achieving his best victories.
The undisputed champion performed in front of 55,000 spectators in a moment that made his hair stand on end. Backed by a violinist and rock music, “The Monster” looked like a man on a mission as he entered the ring.
In the first two rounds, both men felt each other out and the threat of the pair was obvious to all.
Both Inoue and “Gigantic Bang” missed power shots by several inches.
“The Monster” had a robust third round, showing real precision in his shots.
Things started to turn around in the 7th round after a few good rounds from Inoue, and the 28-year-old started to really make an impression.
@naoyainoue_410 DEFENDS ITS UNIQUE CROWN IN STYLE
Is there a man in the world who could dethrone the reigning super bantamweight king?
#inouenakatani pic.twitter.com/ugGgEsmwfJ
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 2, 2026
He had complete control in the 10th round and dominated the “Gigantic Bang”, something few, if anyone, have ever achieved.
Nakatani suffered a nasty cut slow in the round, but after a quick look from the doctor, he was allowed to continue playing.
This cut unfortunately looked to really hinder the 28-year-old as the champion once again turned the tide in the 11th round and had his best round of the fight to date.
The pace returned for Inoue, who began to find his rhythm in the championship rounds.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐍
@naoyainoue_410 Successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight title against the very tough Junto Nakatani over 12 rounds#inouenakatani pic.twitter.com/X81NoIdF1p
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 2, 2026
He had a convincing final round and it was the last two that probably did enough to facilitate him retain his titles.
Yoshiki Takei vs. Chris Medina
The co-main event saw Yoshiki Takei get back to winning ways after a recent loss to Chris Medina.
Takei has held the WBO bantamweight crown since 2024 when he dethroned Jason Moloney.
He picked up a disappointing points victory over DeKang Wang over eight rounds.
Takei started boxing on the back foot in the first round, and Wang looked good from the start.
Victory number 12 for Yoshiki Takei
#InoueNakatani | Live now on DAZN
pic.twitter.com/q1EhFvO1li
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 2, 2026
The third round was probably the hardest in the fight for Wang, who changed the fate of the fight and fired a series of shots at Takei, who was pinned in the corner.
Takei was the more competent player throughout the competition and that precision began to pay off in the final stages. At times it looked like he was on the verge of stopping Wang, who did really well to survive until the final bell.
The three judges’ scorecards read 77-75, 78-74 and 76-76.
Undercard remaining
Naoya’s younger brother, Takuma Inoue, returned to action and extended his win record to 22 in style.
The 30-year-old entered the path of victory by defending the WBC bantamweight world title.
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Inoue threw his fighter, Kazuto Ioka, who was knocked down by a difficult right hook in the second second.
In the third round, the champion scored another impressive knockdown.
Jin Sasaki returned for the second time since being brutally stopped by Brian Norman Jr in the fifth round of their fight.
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He scored points over Sora Tanaka in 10 rounds, looking to return to the world stage.
Kosuke Tomioka and Shogo Tanaka fought to a split draw, and Toshiki Shimomachi defeated Reina Abe by split decision.
The post Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – results and post-fight report appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven weighed in today before Saturday’s fight in front of the pyramids.
Verhoeven he is a heavy underdog against Usyk, who has dominated the heavyweight division for the past seven years.
“The Cat” enters the competition with a career-high weight of 233.3 pounds compared to the bigger man, Verhoeven, who tipped the scales at 258.7 pounds
Verhoeven had only one professional boxing fight before Saturday night’s main event; defeated Janos Finfera (0-5) in 2014.
He is trained by Peter Fury, Tyson’s uncle, and will be looking to score a victory as monumental, if not more so, than Fury’s night in Dusseldorf when he dethroned long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko; Peter Fury was in the corner that night.
Usyk will look to defend his WBC world title on Saturday – a belt he first won as a heavyweight against Tyson Fury when he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
‘The Cat’ was last in action last July when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in front of 88,000 fans at a packed Wembley Stadium.
In his last five fights, the Ukrainian has fought Anthony Joshua twice, Dubois twice and Tyson Fury twice, winning all of them; so on paper Verhoeven seems like a step down.
He enters the competition as a relatively unknown figure, but if his kickboxing career tells any story before Saturday, it is his elite cardio routine and impressive boxing technique, honed under Fury’s tutelage over the past decade.
Underdog Hamzah Sheeraz hopes to win his first world title after losing to Carlos Adames last February; will face undefeated Alem Begic.
All fighters will take part in the ceremonial weigh-in live on The Ring Magazine’s YouTube channel, live from 18:00 GMT.
Undercard scales
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic – WBO super middleweight world title – 10 rounds
Hamzah Sheeraz – 167.9 lbs
Alem Begić – 166.9 pounds
Shakhram Giyasov vs Jack Catterall – WBA world title (regular) welterweight – 12 rounds
Shakhram Giyasov – 145.7 pounds
Jack Catterall – 146.8 pounds
Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr – heavyweight – 12 rounds
Frank Sanchez – 240.4 pounds
Richard Torrez Jr – 229.5 pounds
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman – WBO super flyweight world title – 10 rounds
Mizuki Hiruta – 114.7 lbs
May Soliman – 114 pounds
Daniel Lapin vs Benjamin Mendes Tani – IBF intercontinental and WBO international lithe heavyweight titles – 10 rounds
Daniel Lapin: 173.8 pounds
Benjamin Mendes Low-cost: 174.4 pounds
Sultan Almohammed vs Dedy Imprax – lightweight – 4 rounds
Sultan Almohammed: 127.8 lbs
Dedy Impraks: 125.7 lbs
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya vs Ali Sserunkuma – super lightweight – 4 rounds
Mohamed Mabrouk Yehya: 138.9 pounds
Weight: 141.5 lbs
Basem Mamdouh vs Jamar Talley – cruiserweight – 6 rounds
Basem Mamdouh: 192.8lbs
Jamar Talley: 197.7 pounds
Omar Hikal vs Michael Kalyalya – middleweight – 4 rounds
Omar Hikal: 161.1 pounds
Michael Kalyalya: 160.2 pounds
The post Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – Weigh-in results appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
History will be made on Saturday when Oleksandr Usyk defends his status as the best heavyweight in the world against Rico Verhoeven.
The Usyk vs Verhoeven fight is the contender’s second professional boxing fight. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
Verhoeven is nicknamed the “King of Kickboxing” and his professional kickboxing record is 54-10 with 16 stoppages along the way.
He was born in the Netherlands and made his professional debut at the age of only 16.
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The Dutchman is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, kickboxers of all time. In 2014, he became the GLORY heavyweight champion of the world.
The 37-year-old dominated and defended the title for over a decade.
‘𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐄’
𓁀
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 21, 2026
He is respected in the kickboxing world for his elite cardio skills, technical skills and fighting IQ, and is known to many for his celebrated rivalry with Badr Hari, a man he stopped twice in three years.
Verhoeven is 6 feet 5 inches and has a reach of 200 cm compared to his opponent Usyk who is 6 feet 3 inches and has a reach of 198 cm.
Despite challenging a man who is considered by many to be boxing’s number one, this will be only Verhoeven’s second professional boxing fight.
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 20, 2026
The only time he stepped into the squared circle was in 2014, before he won either of his kickboxing titles.
In Germany, he faced Janos Finfera 0:5 and made no mistake, stopping his opponent in the second round.
His fight with the Ukrainian will take place in front of ul Pyramids of Gizathe first spectacle in this sport, which should prove to be a historic spectacle.
OLEKSANDR USYK
RICO VERHOEVEN
– FIRST RETURN IN FIGHT WEEK
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 19, 2026
The event was organized by Turki Alalshikh and The Ring Magazine and will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view.
For the past decade, Verhoeven has worked with a highly respected boxing coach Piotr Furywhich helped develop his boxing skills into his kickboxing career.
Verhoeven and Fury have both talked about how beneficial it has been to focus solely on boxing for the past six months; was originally set to face Anthony Joshua.
The entry Who is Rico Verhoeven? Meet Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Tyson Fury has suggested that there will be a shocking fight with Zlatan Ibrahimovic later this year.
Fury is a two-time world heavyweight champion and Ibrahimovic has never had a professional boxing fight.
He informed about it A place of stomping earlier that morning, both the “Gypsy King” and the retired soccer star met in Warsaw.
Goldstar’s James Ward shared multiple photos from the pair’s reunion, where you could imagine them dining together at restaurants with a enormous film crew in attendance, likely filming footage for the confirmed third installment of his hit Netflix series Fury’s House of Fury.
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Just hours after posting the photos, both Fury and Ibrahimovic shared a post on Instagram suggesting a fight between them.
𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗢𝗧?
“MOST IMPORTANT NEWS! ON AUGUST 1ST in Dublin, Ireland, @Tyson_Fury @Turki_alalshikh @Ibra_oficjalna #makingboxinggreatain” pic.twitter.com/di9o0wbaao
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 21, 2026
The caption on their post read: “BREAKING NEWS! AUGUST 1 in Dublin, Ireland, @tysonfury @turki #makingboxinggreatagain.”
While many fans initially thought the post was a joke, Turki Alalshikha’s recent matchmaking means some fans are taking the possibility seriously.
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On Saturday, Alalshikh and The Ring Magazine host another shocking contest for the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion of the worldN Aleksander Usyk will face a kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in front of the Giza pyramids.
Usyk is the main favorite, but Fury would probably be an even bigger favorite if the fight with Ibrahimovic comes to fruition.
The football star has previously hinted at a possible boxing crossover with Sun sport claiming to have spoken to Misfits Boxing in October 2024.
Misfits promoter Mams Taylor has spoken out about the possibility of Ibrahimovic fighting.
“I tried to convince Zlatan and he can fight. I’m good friends with his manager and the three of us talked on FaceTime.
“It was really nippy because he saw a lot of Misfits fights and followed them. He was a kickboxer and would have been good too.
“But yes, there are other names that are not as renowned as these guys, but they are still very respected and have achieved a lot that is of interest.
“And since it’s so realistic that these guys will fight, I won’t mention their names.”
‘The Gypsy King’ will face long-time rival Anthony Joshua at the end of the year after they have been on a collision course for over a decade, but Fury has stated he would like one more fight before facing ‘AJ’.
Rumors began to circulate that Fury’s next fight would take place about a week or two after Joshua’s fight against Kristian Prenga on July 25.
In the absence of official confirmation of the event, the reality of this fight remains unknown, but Fury and Ibrahimovic clearly suggest that it will take place in Dublin.
The post Tyson Fury hints at shock fight with football icon appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
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