Nagoya Nightmare: Inoue Schools Akhmadaliev, Retains Undisputed Crown
4 weeks ago 24
Photo Naoki FukudaNaoya “Monster” Inoue once again proved why he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters today, cruising to a one-sided unanimous decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sunday at the IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan.Scores read 118-110 (twice) and 117-111 as Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight titles for the fifth time.What was billed as Inoue’s toughest test at 122 lbs turned into another showcase of dominance. The four-division champ controlled the fight with his sharp jab, straight rights, and counter left hooks, leaving Akhmadaliev (14-2, 11 KOs) battered and swollen.By the ninth round, Inoue was landing clean combinations and even taunted his fatigued foe to bring it on. Akhmadaliev did connect with a solid right hook in the closing seconds of round 12, but it was far too little, too late. With the win, Inoue improved to 26-0 in world title fights.“I wanted to finish him in the middle rounds, but I didn’t and stuck to my game plan,” Inoue said post-fight.Top Rank’s Bob Arum praised him, calling Inoue “a complete fighter with power, strategy, and footwork — the mark of an all-time great.”Undercard Results
Bantamweight: Big upset! Mexico’s Christian Medina (26-4, 19 KOs) stopped Yoshiki Takei (11-1, 9 KOs) in round 4 to capture the WBO world title. Medina floored Takei early, then finished with a barrage of uppercuts.
Minimumweight: Ryusei Matsumoto (7-0, 4 KOs) claimed the WBA “regular” title via technical decision over Yuni Takada (16-9-3, 6 KOs). Scores were 50-45, 50-45, 50-46 before the bout was halted in round 5 after an accidental headbutt left Takada unable to continue.