Inoue vs Akhmadaliev official for Sept. 14 in Nagoya

Naoya Inoue and Yoshiki Takei will defend their respective titles on Japanese soil this coming September

After a May pit stop in the States, undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue is officially set to face former unified titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14th in Nagoya, Japan.

Inoue (30-0, 27 KO) had intended to spend the last little while clearing out his mandatory challengers ahead of a 2026 superfight with countryman Junto Nakatani, but found himself foiled by circumstances beyond his control. Winter showdowns with Sam Goodman fell through when the Aussie suffered a pair of cuts in quick succession, leaving “The Monster” to smash Ye Joon Kim on short notice, after which Alan Picasso said “no gracias” and teed up Inoue’s shootout with Ramon Cardenas.

Barring anymore unfortunate turns of events, he’ll face what looks to be the toughest challenge this currently Nakatani-free division has to offer in Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KO). Should be a good one.

As previously revealed, the co-feature will see regular Inoue partner in crime Yoshiki Takei (11-0, 9 KO) defend his WBO bantamweight belt against fellow bruiser Christian Media (24-4, 17 KO)