Arum on Inoue’s Potential Opponent: “One of the Biggest Fights in Japan’s History”

Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum discussed a potential bout between undisputed super bantamweight world champion (up to 55.3 kg) Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) and WBC bantamweight champion (up to 53.5 kg) Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs).

“I think Naoya will return to the ring before Christmas. The fight will take place in Tokyo, and his opponent will be a solid Australian fighter, Sam Goodman. After that, we might witness one of the biggest fights in Japan’s history.

Right now, Japan is becoming the center for fights in the lighter weight classes, from flyweight to featherweight. This fight will attract a lot of attention in Tokyo. Inoue vs Nakatani is a fight I hope we’ll see next year,” Arum stated.

On September 3, Naoya Inoue defeated TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs) by technical knockout in the 7th round. In July, Junto Nakatani knocked out Vincent Astrolabio (19-5, 14 KOs) in the first round. His next fight is scheduled for October 14 against Tasana Salapata (76-1, 53 KOs).