Boxing

Turki Alalshikh Planning Major Japan vs Mexico Card Headlined By Naoya Inoue [Details]

Naoya Inoue's first fight in Saudi Arabia is already in the works, and it could be apart of massive card that could be a battle of the nations.
Johan Alyas Blanco|
Naoya Inoue
Naoya Inoue | IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

The partnership between Turki Alalshikh and Naoya Inoue is being lined up, and it could be apart of an intriguing fight card.

Ring Magazine has reported that His Excellency wants the undisputed junior-featherweight champion to headline a Riyadh Season card on Dec. 27th against David Picasso. Alalshikh said that he wants that particular card's concept to be Japan vs. Mexico, similar to what we've seen with the Queensberry vs. Matchroom card from last summer.

Originally plans were for Picasso to fight Inoue on May 4th, however that fight didn't materialize and Ramon Cardenas stepped up instead. Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) would go on to stop Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) in the 8th round in a Fight of the Year contender. In that fight, Inoue was knocked down in the second round, but bounced back to drop Cardenas in the seventh, then finishing the job the following round.

Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) hasn't fought since Dec. 14th, 2024, knocking out Yehison Cuello in the third round.

Before Inoue vs. Picasso can fully go through, "The Monster" has to get past Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sept. 14th. Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KOs), who is the interim WBA junior featherweight champion, has won three straight fights, last beating Luis Castillo by eighth-round stoppage on May 30th in Mexico.

Outside of Inoue vs Picasso, there's another major fight in the works for the card. It is reported that unified WBC and WBA flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji could face Francisco Rodriguez Jr.

Rodriguez Jr. (35-6-1, 1NC, 26 KOs) was recently crowned that interim WBC flyweight champion, after his one-sided unanimous decision win over Galal Yafai on June 21st. Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) became unified champion after stopping Seigo Yuri Akui in the 12th round on March 13th, in one of the best fights of 2025.

Unified IBF and WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) could also make his junior-featherweight debut on the card against Cardenas.

If Inoue and Nakatani were to fight on Dec. 27 and win their respective fights, that could set the table for the highly anticipated super-fight between the two in 2026.

Junto Nakatani (left) and Naoya Inoue (right) during the JBC Annual Boxing Awards ceremony 2024.
Junto Nakatani (left) and Naoya Inoue (right) during the JBC Annual Boxing Awards ceremony 2024. | IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

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Johan Alyas Blanco
JOHAN ALYAS BLANCO

Johan Alyas Blanco is a writer for KO On SI. Before joining in March 2025, he worked as a News Producer in Tallahassee and Orlando. He also works for several fight promotions in boxing and MMA, working on social media content. When he’s not writing, Alyas covers boxing on his own YouTube channel, The Split Decision. Blanco has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from UCF, with a minor in sports business management. Alyas has interviewed several big names in combat sports, including Jorge Masvidal, Edgar Berlanga and Brian Norman Jr. His goal is to bring boxing back to prominence.

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