Inoue defeats Picasso, sets up super-fight against Nakatani

Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) defended on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia his undisputed super-bantamweight title, defeating challenger from Mexico, David Picasso (32-1-1, 17 KOs) via unanimous decision.

Judges scored the fight 120:108, 117:111 and 119:109.

“This performance wasn’t good enough,” Inoue said afterward through a translator. “I could have done better. I’m glad I won, but I’m really tired. I’ll rest and be much better next time.”

With the victory Inoue set up the super-fight against countryman Junto Nakatani (32-0).

Nakatani had much harder work on Saturday night in Riyadh, winning close on points against Sebastian Hernandes Reyes 20-1. Two judges scored the fight 115:113 in favor of Nakatani and one scored the fight 118:110 in favor of Japanese boxer.

“I moved up to this division to win world titles,” Nakatani said. “If I get that chance, I want to take it.”

Inoue echoed the sentiment while stopping short of a formal commitment. “Both of us had very good wins tonight,” he said. “For next year, we will decide what happens. But Japanese fans should expect something very good.”

If finalized, an Inoue–Nakatani bout – widely rumored for 3 May at the Tokyo Dome – would pit two undefeated, multi-division champions in their primes against one another, a rarity in modern boxing and a fight many believe would rank as the most significant in Japan’s storied pugilistic history.