Inoue's professional record now stands at 32 wins, including 27 by knockout. Throughout 2023, he faced a string of skilled opponents, defeating Ye Joon Kim across the globe and Murodjon Akhmadaliev with a decisive victory in Japan. He also bested Ramon Cardenas with an eighth-round knockout in Las Vegas before outpointing Picasso to defend his super bantamweight world title. Judges scored the bout 119-109, 120-108, and 117-111 in favor of Inoue. Despite this triumph, Inoue humbly criticized his performance post-fight.
"I'm not very happy with my performance; I could have done much better," said Inoue after the match. "So I will learn from this and be much better next time."
David Picasso, hailing from Mexico, gave it his all but ultimately could not match the skill and precision of Inoue who took charge throughout the fight.
Meanwhile, Japanese boxer Junto Nakatani showcased his talents as he went toe-to-toe with Sebastian Hernandez. Nakatani secured victory by unanimous decision with scorecards reading 115-113 twice and 118-110. The win keeps him on track for a potential future clash against none other than Naoya Inoue in 2026.
Japanese fans anticipate an exciting showdown between these two top-tier fighters next year.
"We both had very good wins tonight," Nakatani hinted at the prospect after their fights. "So for next year Japanese fans can look forward to something very good."
Among those watching was Oleksandr Usyk, soaking up the atmosphere and perhaps scouting future opponents.
With champions like Naoya Inoue continuously defending titles and preparing for future challenges such as facing Junto Nakatani, boxing aficionados worldwide are keenly awaiting what unfolds next.