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it is very possible anthony joshuaDisappointing fight, or anticipated fight, with YouTuber turned boxer jake paul Is left a sour taste in your mouthLuckily this is the season of mulled wine, hot chocolate and Baileys, but don’t despair if you don’t trust the effectiveness of these festive liquids to cleanse the palate, day after tomorrow boxing day, it is boxing day, as two of the best fighters on the planet grace the ring on the same card.
enter Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, the Japanese pair looking to stage their duel in 2026, but with associated tests Waiting for him on 27th December,
That night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Inoue will defend his undisputed super-bantamweight title against Alan Picasso (please respect restraint in avoiding any artist-related jokes in this article). In the previous bout, Junto Nakatani made his debut in the same division, where he faced Sebastian Hernandez Reyes.
All four fighters are unbeaten. Per indy sport rankingInoue is the second best boxer alive, and Nakatani is ranked No. 8. While their upcoming opponents lack the profile and pedigree of Inoue and Nakatani.Who vacated his unified bantamweight belt to move up a division here), they are invincible and honorable enemies.
Of course, Picasso (who also goes by his middle name, David) and Reyes are underdogs this weekend, yet clearly not to the extent that they were against Paul “AJ” – a former world heavyweight champion. Neither, incidentally, will use influencer’s escape strategy (about a bigger ring than usual) and diving at your opponent’s feet to buy time and avoid damage. Picasso and Reyes will come to fight, for better or for worse. In fact, they will come to win.
Nevertheless, they may suffer the same fate as Paul: for example, prevented from carrying out punishment, breaking one jaw in two placesBut Picasso and Reyes would still get in on the action, and they would accept that this might be the price of glory, This is certainly the price of respect,
As such, Saturday’s event will be a welcome counterattack Last Friday’s Commercial Giant/Sports SkitThis is an evening for traditionalists, but everyone please come, If Joshua vs, Paul attracted you to something, even if just for the sake of its looks, stick around to see a little more of that and a Very More real boxing.
In general, the event should be commended for showcasing two of the best fighters in the sport. But one cannot in good conscience talk about these elements without addressing the shortcomings – and there are shortcomings.
Firstly, there is a political element to it, and this goes beyond ‘boxing politics’ Joshua knocks out Paul in six roundsThis is a matter of global politics, Saudi Arabia could be accused of using the event – the latest in a long series of top-level boxing shows over the past two years – as a sportswashing tool, as the Gulf state continues alleged attempts to divert attention from its poor human rights record,
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Secondly, and less importantly, there is a risk of presenting Inoue and Nakatani’s fight as a stepping stone on the way to their own, much-anticipated showdown.
In fact, the matchup between 32-year-old Inoue (undisputed king at two weights and champion at four weights) and 27-year-old Nakatani (champion at three weights) is a mouth-watering match.
Inoue has long been acknowledged as one of the best boxers in the world, if not the best – for some time. at best, but opponents have pointed to the small destroyer’s lack of big-name opponents. This is not due to any avoidance on his part, but the fact that there are fewer stars in the lower weight categories. Yet, in Nakatani, he may have found a rival at the pinnacle of threat and marketability.
Yet we’ve been here before: “If A beats This strategy is clearly flawed, such is the chaos in boxing,
We got such evidence two years ago, earlier in the month, when Joshua and Deontay Wilder shared a card in the same city that will host Saturday’s fight. Joshua dismantled Otto Wallin, but the destruction was still coming as – 30 minutes earlier – Wilder had been defeated by Joseph Parker over 12 rounds. with that, Joshua vs Wilder slips from touching distance – Maybe forever.
Similarly, this May, A major rematch between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia breaks down When they boxed in the same ring but got different results; Honey, while poor, overtakes Jose Ramirez, Only Garcia was outclassed and outpointed by Rollie Romero. In a disappointing defeat.
So here we are again. And as much of an A-side as Inoue will be in the match with Nakatani, and as formidable as “The Monster” is, there’s reason to be concerned about him this weekend. In two of their last five matches, inoue has been removedShowing a vulnerability that could derail the Saudi plot to link him with Nakatani.
Supposedly, Nakatani’s opponent on Saturday has a knockout rate of 90 percent (18 finishes from 20 wins). In contrast, Picasso enters his fight against Inoue with 17 KOs from 32 wins. It could still be Nakatani who slips up here, especially considering he’s at a new weight – three divisions above the class where he won his first world title.
And it could also lead to a potential conflict with Inoue. The Monster has been at super-bantamweight for the past two and a half years, having previously conquered the same two divisions as Nakatani. Nevertheless, Inoue’s first world title came at light-flyweight, where he was smaller than Nakatani. As such, perhaps Nakatani will move up to super-bantamweight more easily than his compatriot.
As with Joshua vs. Paul, There are many questions that need to be answeredBut while Saudi involvement makes Inoue vs, Nakatani a problematic saga, many fans will see it as a more palatable take on boxing,