The undisputed super bantamweight champion, Naoya Inoue, has been ordered by the WBA to defend his title against a mandatory opponent, Murodjon Akhmadaliev. The two fighters have until July 30 to agree on a contract and then make a bid. The bout is due to take place on September 25.
Reasons for weight gain
With Naoya already having a clean sweep at 122 pounds and no viable options for him, there’s no point in him staying in this well-worn ghost town.
Some fans feel Inoue is afraid to move up to 126 pounds because there are so many talented fighters who could beat him and he would lose popularity in Japan.
There's no benefit to Inoue staying at 122 pounds for his title defense against Akhmadaliev because it's not the kind of fight American fans want to see.
For ESPN to get good ratings for Inoue's fights, he'll need to face opponents that fans are paying attention to, like Gervonta Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko or Shakur Stevenson. Having the fights in the United States would also help.
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) must decide whether to accept the bout or withdraw from the fight, as the Japanese star is set to face Sam Goodman in a mandatory IBF title defense, which may be an easier option given his lack of punching power.
A better move for Inoue would be to vacate his four super bantamweight titles, move up to featherweight and test himself against a stronger fighter that boxing fans would love to see him fight.
If Inoue were to move up to featherweight, it would create some interesting fight options:
– Nick Ball
– Luis Alberto Lopez
– Rafael Espinosa
– Raymond Ford
– Robeisy Ramirez
Possible mega-fight with Gervonta Davis
Naoya Inoue has the build to move up to 135 pounds and challenge Gervonta “Tank” Davis for the WBA “regular” lightweight title, which would make for a huge pay-per-view bout between the two stars.
Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KOs), a former IBF/WBA super bantamweight champion, lost both titles in a 12-round split decision loss to Marlon Tapales in 2023. Inoue knocked out Tapales in the 10th round in Tokyo last December.
Last December, Akhmadaliev made his comeback by knocking out Kevin Gonzalez in the eighth round.
Inoue has built his resume on wins over minor fighters, but some consider him overrated, having injured Nonito Donaire in the first bout in 2019 when he was past his peak. Donaire is the only notable figure on Inoue's resume.
