A specific location, along with several undercard matchups, have been confirmed for Naoya Inoue and Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s undisputed super-bantamweight clash.
According to an official announcement, the pair will square off at the IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan, headlining a Ohashi Promotions card on September 14.
A press conference – put together by Ohashi Promotions – was held in the small hours of this morning, yet 122lb king Inoue, 30-0 (27 KOs), had no opponent to face off with.
In any case, the 32-year-old will soon engage in far more than a stare down, hoping to successfully defend his crown for the third time this year.
His last outing arrived in May, back when ‘The Monster’ rescued an abysmal weekend of boxing with an eighth-round stoppage victory over Ramon Cardenas.
The gallant challenger had, indeed, given a titanic effort, and even floored Inoue in the second round, only to then fold under the pressure of his formidable opponent.
WBA interim champion Akhmadaliev, 14-1 (11 KOs), meanwhile, has been patiently waiting in the wings for his shot at the top dog, allowing two mandatory opportunities to pass him by.
But now, the Uzbek has taken the bull by the horns, enforcing his position to secure what should be a career-toughest assignment.
Along with a location update, it was also confirmed that Yoshiki Takei will defend his WBO world bantamweight title against Christian Jimenez on the undercard.
The unbeaten champion has previously come through two fiercely-contested battles with Jason Moloney and Daigo Higa, but now enters what looks to be a more straightforward night’s work on paper.
