In a long overdue fight, undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) and WBA champ Murodjon Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KOs) are officially set for September 14th at the IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan. A deal was reached, and the two will finally meet.

Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev: Fight Preview

The former IBF and WBA 122-lb champion Akhmadaliev, 30, is the final hurdle for Inoue before he faces Junto Nakatani in a big fight that would attract interest worldwide.

However, the 2016 bronze medalist Akhmadaliev could spoil those plans by beating Inoue, who looked vulnerable in his last fight against Ramon Cardenas. Inoue was down in round two from a huge left hook from Cardenas, and might have been dropped again if the Mexican slugger had better accuracy. Inoue just narrowly dodged many of Cardenas’ big home run shots.

Akhmadaliev has won his last three fights since losing for the first time against Marlon Tapales by a 12-round split decision in 2023. That fight was a grueling war. It’s possible that Akhmadaliev would knock out Taples if they fought again because he dished out a lot of punishment and softened him up for Inoue, who knocked him out in the tenth round in his next fight.

Inoue, 32, is starting to show his age, and he’s not been in a rush to move up to 126 to take on the killers in that division. The four champions at featherweight are waiting for Naoya, and many of the contenders are as well. They want the big payday that comes from fighting Inoue. If one of them can be the first to defeat the Japanese star, it could lead to them making millions in a rematch.

Fans have noted that Inoue has been padding his record since 2024, fighting opposition that offered little threat to beating him. They see him playing it safe since the tough time he had in 2023 with his fights against Stephen Fulton and Tapales.