Naoya Inoue W12 Murodjon Akhmadaliev...  World 122-pound champion Naoya Inoue was supposed to be given the toughest test of his super bantamweight reign. In the end, it was just another dominant night at the office. Inoue defended his undisputed crown Sunday with a one-sided unanimous decision over former unified champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev at IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Official scores were 118-110 (twice) and 117-111. Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs), a four-division world champion, now has five defenses of the undisputed crown he won in December 2023. He continued that dominance over Akhmadaliev (17-4, 11 KOs including the World Series of Boxing), controlling the first half of the fight with his jab and straight right hands to the head and body.

 

Inoue took charge of the center of the ring, dipping side to side and landing counter left hooks. The consistent, accurate punching left Akhmadaliev's face marked up and swollen. In the ninth round, Inoue landed a three-punch combo and beckoned his fatigued foe to come forward. 

 

Akhmadaliev had a brief moment in the final seconds of the twelfth round, landing a sweeping right hook that got Inoue's attention. Inoue shrugged off the momentary defensive lapse and coasted to victory, increasing his record in world title fights to 26-0. 

 

"I wanted to finish him in the middle rounds, but I didn’t and stuck to my game plan," Inoue said.

 

Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said, "We saw what a complete fighter Inoue has become. Not only a great puncher, but great strategy and footwork. That’s what the real all-time greats have, and this young man demonstrated it tonight."