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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.
Jack Rafferty returns this weekend and will face Ekow Essuman.
The Rafferty vs Essuman fight takes place on the Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois card.
He talked to professional boxing fans and revealed refreshed and rejuvenated before returning on Saturday.
Rafferty last fought in August last year when he drew with Mark Chamberlain and admitted he needed rest after a long string of fights.
“Since Henry Turner, I’ve had a lot to do… besides the fights being tough, the camps were sometimes even tougher.
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“I gave myself some time off, which I think I deserved…I went straight back to work.”
He reflected on his last fight and how he feels he has improved his physical abilities since then.
“A little rest has been good for me… Jack Rafferty is in really good shape for the fight on May 9th.”
Rafferty admitted he felt unfortunate that he didn’t get the win and told how there were talks about a rematch, but ultimately broke down.
“I thought I won… unfortunately there will be no rematch.
“There were talks, but there were commitments in between… things fell through.
“Never say never… it might happen again one day.”
He is looking forward to fighting Nottingham’s Essuman and revealed that he is full of respect for his opponent.
‘The Engine’ was last in action in November when he was stopped by Jack Catterall at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“He lost to a world-class player… there is no shame in that.
“There’s a reason it’s called the Echo Engine… we all know what it brings.
“What a fight, what a show to be a part of.”
“Demolition Man” talked about his motivations behind training camps and each fight.
“When I lost my mother, it was the biggest loss I had ever experienced… I can’t lose anything else.
“Thanks to this pain you can do something with yourself… My mother is proud of me every day.”
The post “I’m Gonna Be Hungrier” – Jack Rafferty on Fighting Ekow Essuman appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
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