Naoya Inoue retained his super-bantamweight titles by defeating Junto Nakatani via unanimous decision in Tokyo. The judges scored the fight 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Inoue, who praised Nakatani's performance.
Key points
Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision
Judges scored the fight 116-112 and 115-113 for Inoue
Inoue retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super-bantamweight titles
The match took place in front of 55,000 fans at Tokyo Dome
Inoue praised Nakatani's strong performance
Mentioned in this story
Tokyo
Naoya InoueJunto NakataniWBAWBC
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, punches Junto Nakatani of Japan during the tenth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, raises his arms as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, fights Junto Nakatani of Japan during second round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Junto Nakatani, right, of Japan fights Naoya Inoue of Japan during the sixth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, celebrates as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Q&A
What were the judges' scores in the Inoue vs. Nakatani fight?
The judges scored the fight 116-112 twice and 115-113, all in favor of Naoya Inoue.
How many titles did Naoya Inoue retain after defeating Junto Nakatani?
Naoya Inoue retained his WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super-bantamweight titles.
What is Naoya Inoue's professional boxing record after the fight with Nakatani?
Naoya Inoue's professional record improved to 33 wins, 0 losses, and 27 knockouts after defeating Junto Nakatani.
What significance did the Inoue vs. Nakatani fight hold in Japanese boxing history?
The fight was billed as the biggest in Japanese boxing history, drawing a sell-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
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Japan Inoue Nakatani Boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, punches Junto Nakatani of Japan during the tenth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Japan Inoue Nakatani Boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, punches Junto Nakatani of Japan during the tenth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Japan Inoue Nakatani Boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, raises his arms as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
3 / 5
Japan Inoue Nakatani Boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, fights Junto Nakatani of Japan during second round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
4 / 5
Japan Inoue Nakatani Boxing
Junto Nakatani, right, of Japan fights Naoya Inoue of Japan during the sixth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Japan Inoue Nakatani Boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, celebrates as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
TOKYO (AP) — Naoya Inoue defended his undisputed super-bantamweight crown against Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision on Saturday in one of the biggest bouts in Japanese history.
Two judges scored the fight 116-112, while one had it 115-113, all in favor of Inoue after 12 rounds before a sell-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) retained his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts — and then apologized for not delivering a knockout.
The 33-year-old Inoue, hailed as Japan's greatest boxer, also praised Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs).
“He was a fighter with a strong heart. That’s what makes this win mean so much,” said Inoue, a four-division champion.
The bout was billed the biggest in Japanese boxing history, galvanizing fans here for the last year. Former champions and other experts were giving out commentary for months. Most predictions had favored Inoue because of his experience, speed, power and variety of moves.
The fight amply displayed both boxers’ dexterity, in offense and defense, with both taking nice swings as well as jabs, but a lot simply failed to land.
Nakatani, a southpaw, used his longer reach to keep Inoue’s punches at bay, while Inoue simply swayed his body or got out of the way.
The challenger became more aggressive after the sixth round, moving forward to try to land punches. But Inoue used his quick footwork to evade them, landing some jabs back in the process.
“I came prepared so there were no surprises, but the champion was great,” a somber Nakatani said.
He suffered a cut above his left eye in what appeared to come from an accidental clash of heads, and officials said he was going to a hospital afterward to get it checked.
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