Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani can provide the perfect counter to Joshua vs Paul

A frustrating fight, or close to one, between Anthony Joshua and YouTuber-turned-boxer Anthony Joshua likely left a bad taste in your mouth. Luckily, it’s the season of mulled wine, hot chocolate and Baileys, but don’t despair if you’re not convinced by the palate-cleansing powers of these festive drinks. The day after Boxing Day is Boxing Day and two of the best boxers on the planet grace the ring on the same card.

Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani appear. The Japanese pair hope to stage their own showdown in 2026, but on December 27 they will face their own test.

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That night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Inoue will fight Alan Picasso for the undisputed super lightweight title (please respect the restraint to avoid any artist-related puns in this article). In the previous game, Junto Nakatani made his debut in the same category, and his opponent was Sebastian Hernandez Reyes.

All four fighters remain undefeated. according to indy sports In the rankings, Inoue is the second-best fighter today, while Nakatani is ranked eighth. While their upcoming opponents lack the profile and pedigree of Inoue and Nakatani (who vacated their unified bantamweight belts and moved up a division here), they are undefeated and respectable foes.

Of course, Picasso (who also goes by his middle name David) and Reyes are at a disadvantage this weekend, but certainly not to the extent that Paul was facing off against former world heavyweight champion “AJ.” By the way, none of them will use the influencer’s tactic of jumping away (going around a larger ring than usual) and diving into the opponent’s legs to buy time and avoid damage. For better or worse, Picasso and Reyes are here to fight. In fact, they will win.

Still, the same fate as Paul could befall them: that punishing suspension of, say, a broken jaw in two places. But Picasso and Reyes would be in on the action anyway, accepting that it might be the price of glory. This is of course the price of honor.

In this way, Saturday’s event will serve as a counterpoint to last Friday’s business titan/sport farce. This is a night for traditionalists, but come on, everyone. If there’s something about Joshua vs. Paul that appeals to you, if only for the spectacle of it, stick around for a little more and give it a look a lot of More realistic boxing.

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Overall, this event should be appreciated for showcasing two of the best fighters in the sport. But one cannot in good conscience gush about these elements without addressing the shortcomings – and they do exist.

First, there is the political element, which goes beyond the “boxing politics” of Joshua deposing Paul in six rounds. This is a global political issue. Saudi Arabia could be accused of using the event – the latest in a series of top boxing matches over the past two years – as a sporting shake-up tool, as the Gulf state continues to be seen as trying to divert attention from its poor human rights record.

Secondly, and even less importantly, there’s the risk of viewing Inoue and Nakatani’s fight as a stepping stone to their own desired showdown.

Indeed, the showdown between the 32-year-old Inoue (the undisputed king of the two-weight division and the four-weight champion) and the 27-year-old Nakatani (the three-weight champion) is a mouth-watering one.

Inoue has long been recognized as one of the best boxers in the world, if not — for the time being. this The best, but critics point out that the small destroyer lacks big-name opponents. That’s not because he’s shying away from anything, but because there are fewer stars in the lower weight classes. However, in Zhonggu, he may find his opponent at the peak of danger and market.

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But we’ve said it before: “If A beats

We received evidence of this two years ago when Joshua and Deontay Wilder shared a card in the same city that hosted Saturday’s fight. Joshua knocked out Otto Wallin, but the devastation was still frustrating because – 30 minutes earlier – Wilder had been beaten for 12 rounds by Joseph Parker. At this point, the distance between Joshua and Wilder has grown – perhaps forever.

Likewise, a marquee rematch between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia fell through in May of this year, as they boxed in the same ring, but with different results; Haney struggled to outperform Jose Ramirez, while Garcia was knocked out by Rolly Romero in an upset loss.

So, here we go again. Although Inoue will be on Team A against Nakatani, and “Monster” is strong, there is reason to worry about him this weekend. Inoue has been knocked out in two of his past five games, showing a weakness that could derail the Saudis’ plot to pair him with Nakatani.

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It’s undeniable that Nakatani’s opponents on Saturday had a 90% knockout rate (20 wins and 18 losses). By comparison, Picasso came into his fight with Inoue with 32 wins and 17 KOs. Nakatani could be making a mistake here, especially considering he’s moved to a new weight class – three weight classes above where he won his first world title.

This could also be a factor in potential conflicts with Inouye. The Monster has been in the super bantamweight division for two and a half years, having previously conquered the same two divisions as Nakatani. Still, Inoue’s first world title came in the lightweight division, where he was smaller than Nakatani. In this way, Nakatani may have an easier time moving up to super lightweight than his compatriots.

Just like Joshua vs Paul, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. But while the Saudi involvement made Inoue vs. Nakatani a problematic legend, many fans will see it as a more acceptable take on the sport of boxing.