Naoya Inoue has been offered another career-defining challenge before even stepping into the ring against Junto Nakatani.
First and foremost, ‘The Monster’ must defend his undisputed super-bantamweight crown against Nakatani on May 2, headlining a blockbuster Japanese event at the Tokyo Dome.
This represents Inoue’s seventh defence of his four major titles at 122lbs, with the hard-hitting sensation having become recognised as a top two pound-for-pound star.
The 33-year-old’s most notable victories have come against the likes of Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas, who both floored the two-division undisputed champion but were ultimately stopped in rounds six and eight, respectively.
Nakatani, meanwhile, is widely regarded as Inoue’s toughest opponent thus far, despite the three-division world champion coming off a debatable points victory against Sebastian Hernandez last December.
But this, in fairness, was his first outing at 122lbs, with many expecting the 28-year-old to raise his level against Inoue.
In a world where Inoue emerges triumphant, though, it has become increasingly likely that he will explore a potential fight with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
The unified super-flyweight champion will move up to 118lbs for his next outing, taking on WBA titlist Antonio Vargas on June 13.
If this next assignment proves successful, then Rodriguez has told Ring Magazine that he would jump up a further weight class to face Inoue.
“I’m ready whenever. If that fight was presented to me right now, I’d definitely go ahead and take it.”
While Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed preliminary talks for the fight, there is equally a chance that ‘Bam’ moves back down to 115lbs in pursuit of undisputed glory.
