Naoya Inoue is expected to have his next boxing match in the UK later this year. Reports suggest that this event will mark a significant milestone as it might be staged at Wembley Stadium. The precise date proposed for the fight in the venue options is sometime in September.
In his recent outing, Inoue defended his WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super-bantamweight titles against Luis Nery at Tokyo Dome. The attendance was impressive with 55,000 spectators witnessing the action. Notably, this fight occurred in the same venue where Buster Douglas famously defeated Mike Tyson 34 years earlier. The bout was dramatic; Inoue experienced his first career knockdown during the initial round but quickly regained control and ultimately knocked out Nery by the sixth round.
Looking ahead, Sam Goodman has been identified as Inoue’s next potential opponent. Goodman called out Inoue following his recent victory in Tokyo and is the IBF mandatory challenger. Negotiations led by Turki Alalshikh from Saudi Arabia include consideration of alternative venues in Saudi Arabia and Japan's Es Con Field Hokkaido.
Financially, the stakes are high for Inoue's upcoming fight. He earned $3.8 million from his match with Nery but could make nearly three times that—around $10 million if he agrees to a deal facilitated by Saudi Arabian interests as part of their Riyadh Season card. A proposed main event featuring Anthony Joshua on September 20 or 21 aligns closely with this plan.
This potential UK fight would be first bout for Inoue in England although he previously competed in Glasgow back in May 2019. At that time, he claimed the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight trophy.
