Home favourite Inoue is making a fifth defence of his undisputed super-bantamweight world titles in Nagoya as he looks to remain on course for a huge clash with Japanese rival Junto Nakatani – the unified bantamweight champion – in early 2026, with reports that a bout against Alan Picasso Romero has already been lined up next.
‘The Monster’ is unbeaten as a professional at 30-0 with 27 knockouts after overcoming only the second knockdown of his career in the second round to stop American Ramon Cardenas in the eighth in Las Vegas in May – his first fight on US soil and outside of Japan since 2021.
Inoue has also stopped all of Kim Ye-joon, TJ Doheny and Luis Nery since earning undisputed status for the second time against Marlon Tapales in 2023, beginning his campaign in the 122-pound division by beating Stephen Fulton.
He is now back home to face what most believe will be his toughest test at super-bantamweight so far against Akhmadaliev, Uzbekistan’s Olympic bronze medalist who previously held the unified IBF and WBA titles for three years before suffering his shock lone professional defeat by Tapales in 2023.
The 30-year-old southpaw has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since then, dominating Kevin Gonzalez before picking up the WBA interim title with another emphatic stoppage of Ricardo Espinoza Franco in Monaco in December.
Akhmadaliev last fought in May, when he teed up a long-awaited shot at Inoue with an eighth-round stoppage of Luis Castillo in Mexico.
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev fight date and venue
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev takes place on Sunday September 14, 2025 at the 17,000-capacity Aichi International Arena – IG Arena – in Nagoya, Japan – a venue which was only opened in July.
It is Inoue’s first fight outside of the Tokyo area since he rematched Nonito Donaire in nearby Saitama in 2022.
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev fight time and ring walks
Ring walks for Sunday’s main event are expected at approximately 1pm BST in the UK, which is 9pm local time in Nagoya. That is 8am ET and 5am PT in the United States.
How to watch Inoue vs Akhmadaliev
TV channel and live stream: Inoue vs Akhmadaliev does not currently have a live TV broadcaster in the UK, at the time of writing.
Live blog: You can follow the event on fight day with Standard Sport’s live blog.
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev undercard
Sunday’s undercard sees Yoshiki Takei make the third defence of his WBO bantamweight title against Mexico’s Christian Medina.
Yuni Takada and Ryusei Matsumoto also clash for the vacant WBA ‘regular’ strawweight belt, while the Japanese lightweight title is on the line between Yudai Murakami and Taiga Imanaga.
Naoya Inoue vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Yoshiki Takei vs Christian Medina
Yuni Takada vs Ryusei Matsumoto
Yudai Murakami vs Taiga Imanaga
Toshiki Shimomachi vs Han Sol Lee
Taisei Ayano vs Yusuke Nawa
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev prediction
Sunday’s main event has the tagline ‘be careful what you wish for’, with Akhmadaliev having long sought a fight against Inoue.
Uzbekistan’s first-ever unified world champion is a highly dangerous opponent who carries significant power, with 11 of his 14 professional wins to date coming by knockout.
It’s a clear step up for Inoue, who insists that Akhmadaliev will be the toughest opponent he has ever faced, in any division.
Caught cold: Inoue was knocked down early by Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas in May
Getty Images
Inoue remains at the top end of pound-for-pound lists and is still one of the sport’s most fearsome KO artists, though there have been some slight weaknesses exposed during his undisputed run at 122 pounds – with Nery and Cardenas inflicting his first career knockdowns against the odds.
He responded comprehensively to win by stoppage on both occasions, but will need to adopt a far less aggressive and more tactical, thought-out approach against Akhmadaliev, who has the power to put him away if he gets careless.
We expect an entertaining battle that should see ‘The Monster’ come through late on to keep his winning record intact.
Inoue to win by late stoppage.
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev weigh-in
Weigh-ins for Saturday’s card will take place in Nagoya on Saturday. Check back in then for the results.
Inoue vs Akhmadaliev latest odds
Inoue to win on points or by decision: 7/2
Inoue to win by knockout or technical knockout: 1/3
Akhmadaliev to win on points or by decision: 12/1
Akhmadaliev to win by knockout or technical knockout: 17/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
