Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super bantamweight titles with a unanimous decision over Junto Nakatani on Saturday before a sellout crowd of approximately 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome, the largest all-Japanese boxing event ever staged. Two judges scored the bout 116-112 and a third had it 115-113, all for Inoue. There were no knockdowns.

Inoue, who entered the fight holding the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine belts at 122 pounds, moved to 33-0 with 27 knockouts. Nakatani, previously unbeaten and a three-division titleholder in his own right, dropped to 32-1 with 24 knockouts. The bout had been promoted in Japan as “The Day,” pairing two unbeaten champions for undisputed supremacy on home soil. Terence Crawford was among those in attendance, and Michael Buffer handled the ring introductions.

Round-by-Round

Round 1. Inoue set the pace behind a sharp jab and quick footwork, working the body and controlling distance. Nakatani was tentative and struggled to close the gap.

Round 2. Inoue continued to dictate range. Nakatani threw with power but could not land cleanly or sustain pressure.

Round 3. Inoue mixed combinations with level changes. Nakatani remained cautious and landed little of consequence.

Round 4. Inoue piled up points behind crisp boxing. Nakatani began looking for openings but was outworked in exchanges.

Round 5. Inoue’s jab and body shots were on point. Nakatani had moments of pressure but could not break through.

Round 6. Nakatani’s first clear round. He opened up, landed heavier shots and forced Inoue to engage. Inoue still landed cleaner work, but the challenger’s pressure was apparent.

Round 7. Inoue reasserted himself with counterpunching and movement. Nakatani’s rally slowed.

Round 8. Nakatani’s best round to that point. He pressured behind combinations and power shots that backed Inoue up at times, turning the fight competitive on the scorecards.

Round 9. Nakatani continued the rally with cleaner work in exchanges and sustained pressure, narrowing the gap.

Round 10. Nakatani started fast, but a clash of heads late in the round opened a cut over his left eye. Blood interfered with his vision, and Inoue capitalized in the closing seconds. Nakatani later said the cut, along with possible orbital damage, hampered him down the stretch.

Round 11. Inoue pulled away with cleaner boxing and higher volume. Nakatani struggled with the cut and faded.

Round 12. Inoue boxed to the finish, landing the cleaner shots. Nakatani pressed forward but could not overcome the eye issue or the deficit on the cards.

Post-Fight

The two fighters embraced at the final bell and exchanged words of respect in the ring. Inoue told Nakatani he fought like a true champion; Nakatani said he was honored to share the ring with the best in the world.

“I’ve dedicated my life to getting this far,” Inoue said in the ring. “I want to engrave my fighting spirit in your memory. I’ll show them Naoya Inoue and prove that I’m still great.” Asked about Nakatani’s mid-fight surge, Inoue said he felt the pressure but did not panic. “I’m now calm and very skilled,” he said.

Nakatani’s post-fight press conference lasted roughly five minutes before being cut short. He is suspected of having suffered a broken orbital bone in addition to the cut. He praised Inoue’s precision, said he had “no regrets” about taking the fight, and circled back to his pre-fight line that has been widely quoted in Japanese media: “I will win and then tell everyone my story.”

Inoue also mentioned interest in further unification challenges, including a possible move back to 118 pounds, though he did not name a specific opponent.

Undercard Results

Takuma Inoue def. Kazuto Ioka, unanimous decision (WBC bantamweight title). Takuma Inoue dropped the 37-year-old Ioka twice behind uppercuts and body work, and outboxed the four-division former champion across 12 rounds. “Watch me defeat the legend Kazuto Ioka,” Takuma said in the build-up. “I want to have a match that will move people. What I want to prove is Takuma Inoue’s strength.”

Yoshiki Takei def. DeKang Wang, majority decision (super bantamweight, 8 rounds). A competitive bout that Takei edged on two cards.

Jin Sasaki def. Sora Tanaka, split decision (welterweight, 10 rounds).

Toshiki Shimomachi def. Reiya Abe, majority decision (featherweight, 10 rounds).

Shogo Tanaka vs. Kosuke Tomioka, split draw (flyweight, 10 rounds).

Yuito Moriwaki def. Deok No Yun, split decision (super middleweight, 10 rounds).