Naoya Inoue has been called out by an unbeaten American contender, who happens to be gearing up for his first world title challenge at 126lbs.
The Japanese sensation comes off a dominant unanimous decision victory over David Picasso, successfully defending his undisputed super-bantamweight crown last month.
Appearing on that card in Saudi Arabia, too, was Junto Nakatani, who jumped up to 122lbs and outpointed Sebastian Hernandez in a fiercely contested non-title fight.
As a result, it appears that the two pound-for-pound stars are now set to collide at the Tokyo Dome, Japan, in May, with Inoue putting his four major belts on the line.
Despite the enormous intrigue surrounding their matchup, Inoue – a two-division undisputed champion – will likely be made a sizable favourite against his fellow unbeaten countryman, who has claimed world titles in three separate weight classes.
Should he defeat Nakatani, then ‘The Monster’ is likely to move up to featherweight in a bid to become a five-division world champion.
One fighter who would be eager to present him with that opportunity is Bruce Carrington, who must first claim the vacant WBC title on January 31.
Featuring on the undercard of Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York, the 28-year-old will look to cement himself at 126lbs with a victory over Carlos Castro.
In an interview with Ring Magazine, though, ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington admitted that he is nevertheless keeping one eye on a potential showdown with Inoue.
“I’ve been calling this dude out since, I would say, 2023, before he got knocked down [by Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas].
“I see some of the things that fall right into my style. And, again, it’s also a big payday. He’s got the Nakatani fight that might be coming up, so that’s going to be a huge obstacle for him to get past.
“But if he does do that, and then moves up to featherweight, I am here to take the fight.”
Nick Ball, Rafeal Espinoza and Angelo Leo are the current featherweight world champions, all of them representing viable options for Inoue.
