Inoue’s still very close to his absolute best. He’s suffered knockdowns at 122lbs, but he’s repeatedly made adjustments – in many respects he’s still a consistently improving fighter. He may have been more cautious against bigger, recent opponents but, like he showed against Ramon Cardenas in May 2025, when he gets knocked down he will continue to take risks. He doesn’t just try to win – he puts his chin on the line to try to knock his opponents out, and yet does so with a tactical edge, even while not being the same puncher he was at 115lbs.
Naoya Inoue isn’t declining but must conquer more pressure than ever against Junto Nakatani
