Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani result: Undisputed champion overcomes late drama in incredible clash

Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani clashed in one of the biggest boxing fights in recent years, at the Tokyo Dome.

This Saturday at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani clashed in a huge undisputed super-bantamweight title fight.

Both fighters headed into their highly-anticipated clash at 32-0 and the fight was set up last December when they both competed on the same card in Saudi Arabia.

After already having captured titles at flyweight and bantamweight, this marked ‘Big Bang’ Nakatani’s first fight at super bantamweight.

Inoue vs Nakatani result

From the opening bell, the anticipation in the Tokyo Dome was palpable as both fighters tentatively engaged without too much action.

‘The Monster’ was the one to steal the eyes of the judges, as he does so well, at the end of the round with a brief acceleration and a few right hands landing to the body.

The action in round two heated up a little bit as Nakatani had slightly more success, landing a few decent body shots with his left hand.

Through the first three rounds, it was clear that both fighters were fearful of the power each other possesses, as they both looked to get their jabs firing.

It wasn’t until the fourth round when the biggest shot of the fight so far was landed when Inoue landed a jab to the body, followed by a big right hand upstairs, landing clean on the challenger.

Midway through the fight, it seemed as though the 28-year-old grew in confidence, beginning to be more positive with his combinations, landing his left hand more often.

In round seven, ‘Big Bang’ really ramped up his speed as he began to put the pressure on the undisputed champion, landing several combinations.

The tempo of the fight was raised considerably in round eight which saw the most action as Nakatani once again had positive moments, putting the champion on the back foot.

The challenger looked to be taking over the fight in round nine, shocking the 55,000 fans in attendance as he began to believe he could pull off the upset.

In round 10 an unfortunate accidental head clash opened up a huge cut around the left eye of Nakatani, resulting in a brief stoppage as the doctor checked the significance of it. Fortunately, the fight continued shortly after.

After potentially losing a few rounds in a row, ‘The Monster’ turned up the heat in the 11th round as Nakatani’s cut leaked into his eye, causing a problem for him.

The undisputed champion finished the fight strong with another close round in the 12th and after a highly competitive fight, Inoue was awarded the 116-112, 115-113, 116-112 unanimous decision win.