In a Sky Sports article, promoter Bob Arum revealed an ambitious schedule for world super bantamweight champion Naoya "Monster" Inoue (pictured). Arum wants Inoue to fight three times, with the third being perhaps the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing.  The first fight of Inoue's 2025 campaign is already definite. Inoue will defend his undisputed world 122-pound championship against unbeaten Australian Sam Goodman on Friday, Jan. 24th at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The two were initially scheduled to fight on Dec. 24th, but Goodman suffered a cut above his left eye in sparring shortly before he was scheduled to depart for Tokyo. Inoue-Goodman, a WBO mandatory defense, will headline a live stream on ESPN+. 

 

Arum told Sky Sports the next planned fight- if Inoue gets by Goodman without injury-- would be an April defense in Las Vegas against Alan David Picasso of Mexico City. Picasso is 31-0-1 and, based on current rankings, his challenge would likely count as both an IBF and WBC mandatory.

 

The third fight Arum wants to make would be a Japanese super fight- Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani, who is 29-0, the reigning WBC bantamweight champion and a three-division champion overall. The fight-- which would be between an undefeated four-division champion vs. an undefeated three-division champion, would likely be pushed by including Nakatani on the April undercard in Las Vegas. Nakatani is also booked to defend his WBC crown against unbeaten Mexican puncher David Cuellar next month. 

 

The boxer left out of this scenario is former two-belt champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who currently holds the WBA interim title and has been pressing hard for a shot at Inoue.  Akhmadaliev certainly would be a worthy challenger, and will certainly press to have Inoue stripped of the WBA title if he does not fight Akhmadaliev immediately after Goodman. Last month, Akhmadaliev knocked out Ricardo Espinoza Franco in the third round with the WBA interim title at stake.