Boxing

Naoya Inoue Reveals When He'll Fight MJ Akhmadaliev

MJ Akhmadaliev is one of the few junior featherweights who want to see Naoya Inoue defend his undisputed junior featherweight title against.

Nathaniel Marrero

Naoya Inoue
Naoya Inoue / IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Naoya "The Monster" has long asserted himself as one of the top pound-for-pound fights in the world.

With the run he's been on through the lower weight classes en route to becoming the undisputed junior featherweight champion, there aren't many fighters that could excite boxing fans if they're matched up with Inoue. One name who is an exception to that is interim WBA junior featherweight champion MJ Akhmadaliev.

Akhmadaliev has long been a name that fans have wanted to see fight Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs), and now that matchup may soon come to fruition. The undisputed junior featherweight champion spoke to Daisuke Sugiura and said the plan is for him to fight Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) in September in Japan.

"I'm supposed to fight MJ Akhmadaliev in September in Japan, and I'm really looking forward to it. When I fight against such strong fighters, I can bring out the best in myself and bring out the power I never imagined. I expect myself to show something unexpected in an instant...I think Akhmadaliev is a fighter of that level."

Akhmadaliev nearly had his chance to fight Inoue in 2023, but a split decision loss to Marlon Tapales on April 8, 2023 cost him that opportunity. Inoue became the undisputed junior featherweight champion by stopping Tapales in the 10th round on Dec. 26, 2023.

Akhmadaliev has rebounded well, stopping Kevin Gonzalez and Ricardo Espinoza Franco in his last two bouts. Meanwhile, Inoue has continued to run through the junior featherweight division and has gotten stoppage victories inside seven rounds in his last three bouts.

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BoxingScene reported that Inoue is going to fight Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) on May 4 in Las Vegas.

A fight between Inoue and Akhmadaliev is one of the best fights that can be made. If Inoue can win, it would help cement his legacy as one of the best fighters of this era and arguably one of the best fighters in the lower weight classes of all time.

And if Akhmadaliev could pull off the upset, it would send shockwaves through boxing, and those are the kind of matchups that make the sport.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero