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Robert Garcia summarizes Nakatani’s chances of beating Nayoa Inoue in a mega fight

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5 months ago

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Robert Garcia sums up Nakatani’s chances of beating Nayoa Inoue in mega fight

Next week, Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani will face off in the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history for the undisputed super bantamweight title.

Inoue is one of only three fighters to become multi-division undisputed world champions in the four-belt era, joined only by Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk in that extremely elite club.

At super bantamweight, “The Monster” needed just two fights to capture all four belts, defeating a pair of unified champions in Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales, and has since defended his titles six times.

Meanwhile, Nakatani vacated the unified bantamweight world titles and made his debut at 122 pounds in December, but was disappointed in his divisional debut against Sebastian Hernandez Reyes of Mexico.

As a result, fans now expect Inoue to defend his titles again, in what appears to be the toughest test of his career to date. However, Coach Garcia continued to warn Spit Bucket Podcast that Nakatani’s power may prove less forgiving than that of previous warriors who abandoned “The Monster”.

“He has a challenge against Nakatani. People may rule him out, but Nakatani is a very threatening fighter. His style is one of those tough, sturdy fighters who have a lot of power.

“I think Nakatani will put up a great fight, he has great power, and Inoue has fallen a few times. I don’t think the fighters that made Inoue fall are as good and as powerful as Nakatani.

“He [Nakatani] he’s a solid guy, man, and he’s going to put up a good fight. Yes, I still choose Inoue, but it will be a really good fight.”

Inoue has dealt with both Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas and will be hoping to prove more elusive when he and Nakatani collide on Saturday, May 2 at the Tokyo Dome.

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Boxing

Don King Removes WBC Belt from Mikaelian-Opetaia Fight: What It Means for Boxing

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26 minutes ago

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September 12, 2026

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"Don King Removes WBC Belt from Mikaelian-Opetaia Fight: What It Means for Boxing"

By Boxing News 24 Desk – 09/11/2026 – Comments

Jai Opetaia may defeat WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night without being allowed to claim his title. What was presented as a unification fight could now proceed with only Opetaia’s Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing belts available.

“Don King reports that the WBC cruiserweight title will not be on the line in the Mikaelian vs. Opetaia fight this Saturday. Let’s wait for what the organization officially says,” Rodriguez on X.

Opetaia and Mikaelian are scheduled to meet in the co-feature of the Ryan Garcia–Conor Benn card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Removing the WBC title would take much of the historical value from the matchup. Opetaia can establish himself as the better fighter and beat the reigning WBC champion, yet leave the arena no closer to becoming undisputed. That is a poor result for a cruiserweight division already divided among several champions.


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The WBC had ordered Mikaelian to face WBA and WBO champion David Benavidez. Mikaelian instead accepted the Opetaia fight after a deal with Benavidez was not completed, placing his title status in danger.

King has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and TKO Group Holdings. His promotional company claims it holds an exclusive agreement with Mikaelian and did not authorize the Opetaia fight. Hehas already lost the IBF title without being defeated in the ring after the organization refused to sanction his fight with Brandon Glanton. The Australian may now be denied an opportunity to win the WBC belt for similar reasons involving sanctioning rules and promotional control.

Nothing changes about the difficulty of Saturday’s fight. Mikaelian remains a capable, experienced cruiserweight who defeated Badou Jack in their December rematch. The difference is that Opetaia may receive considerably less for beating him.

Until the WBC releases an official ruling, Mikaelian remains its cruiserweight champion. If King’s information is accurate, however, the fight has gone from a meaningful unification to another example of boxing preventing its leading cruiserweights from settling the division inside the ring.

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Last Updated on 2026/09/12 at 4:11 AM


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Terence Crawford Claims Everyone Waited for His Retirement to Acknowledge His Greatness

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9 hours ago

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September 11, 2026

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"Terence Crawford Claims Everyone Waited for His Retirement to Acknowledge His Greatness"
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“Before I retired, there wasn’t too many people jumping and calling for Terence Crawford. Now that I’m retired, everybody calling out your boy,” Crawford said to Nightcap. “It’s the payday and opportunity. They look at it and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to get the highest check of our career. This dude is about to be 39. He probably slowed down a step or two, and maybe this is the right time.’”

His reading of the belated Crawford chase is fair. Jaron “Boots” Ennis wants him, Ryan Garcia has taken shots at his record, and Dana White has talked about finding the right fight to pull him back. He has become far more popular as a target since announcing he is finished.

The risk has changed as well. Calling out an active Crawford meant eventually having to fight him. Challenging him now gives a boxer publicity without requiring him to follow through unless an enormous financial package materializes.

Age is clearly part of the attraction. A younger opponent can collect a career-high purse while hoping that time has removed enough of the speed, reflexes, and stamina that made Crawford so difficult. If the challenger loses, he was beaten by an all-time great. If he wins, Crawford’s name becomes the foundation of his career.

An Ennis fight would therefore need to offer Crawford much more than another name on his record. He already walked away after winning titles in five divisions and becoming undisputed in three. Beating Ennis would generate money, but the reaction would quickly turn into claims that Crawford was always supposed to win.

He also insisted that he is enjoying retirement and does not miss competing inside the ring.

“I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it. I don’t have to worry about anything. All I have to do is enjoy life, travel the world, and be a fan. In the ring, no, not really. I did everything. When I walked away, I was a five-division champion and three-division undisputed. You can’t do it any better than how I did it.”

The challenges may continue because Crawford remains the biggest available payday from 147 through 160. That does not mean any of those fighters wanted the same test before his departure made it safer to ask.

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Dana White Shuts Down Ryan Garcias Egg Stunt Controversy

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9 hours ago

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September 11, 2026

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"Dana White Shuts Down Ryan Garcia's Egg Stunt Controversy"

Ryan Garcia showed up to Friday’s face-off with a pair of eggs tucked into his pockets, seemingly planning to pelt Conor Benn. The prank fell apart before Garcia even stepped on stage because Dana White’s security guards caught on immediately.

“Before the face-off, Ryan Garcia had two eggs in his pocket. My security team saw it and he came up to me before. He said, ‘He’s got two eggs in his pocket. What do you want me to do?’ I said, ‘Have him give you the eggs. Get the eggs out of his pocket,’” White told Ring Magazine. “We don’t need him hitting Conor Benn with an egg.”

White made the right call. Tossing an egg sounds silly on paper, but Benn was never going to shrug off that kind of public disrespect under the glare of the cameras. A single retaliatory swing could have sparked an injury, triggered a suspension, or completely wiped out the headliner.


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Garcia clearly plotted this out ahead of time. He sourced the eggs, slipped them past the doors, and bided his time until the face-off. The payoff amounted to nothing more than a brief viral clip online. The downside was putting a massive WBC welterweight title bout in jeopardy after promoters poured millions into the event.

Security stepped in just in time to protect Garcia from his own worst impulses. When Saturday night arrives, he can focus on landing clean punches against Benn instead of throwing breakfast food. Taking those eggs away prevented an instant, close-quarters brawl that almost certainly would have left one of them cut, bruised, and unfit to fight on Saturday. Ryan was playing with fire for a five-second clip.

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Last Updated on 2026/09/11 at 7:31 PM

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