Naoya Inoue caps off the year with a dominant performance

Live from Riyadh on Saturday night, the undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (32-0, 28 KOs) delivered a masterclass in boxing, cruising to a unanimous decision victory over formerly unbeaten David Picasso (32-1-1, 17 KOs). The judges scored the bout 119-109, 120-108 and 117-111.

Picasso had never faced elite-level opposition in the division, and the gap in class was evident against a fighter widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. The Japanese superstar consistently found the target with thunderous shots to both the head and body, while the Mexican challenger struggled to mount any effective response.

Picasso did attempt to raise the tempo and apply pressure in the final two rounds, but Inoue was seeing everything clearly and countering with precision and composure. It marked one of the most complete performances of Inoue’s career, as he surrendered virtually no rounds throughout the contest.

Looking ahead, after a busy 2025 in which he is expected to defend his titles four times, Inoue is likely to face fellow Japanese standout Junto Nakatani in a highly anticipated mega-fight. Both fighters are ranked among the world’s pound-for-pound elite, setting the stage for what promises to be a blockbuster showdown in 2026.

Other results from the card:

• Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) def. Sebastian Hernandez (20-1, 18 KOs) by unanimous decision (115-113 x2, 118-110).

• Eridson Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs) def. Taiga Imanaga (9-1, 5 KOs) by split decision.

• Reito Tsutsumi (4-0, 3 KOs) def. Leobardo Quintana Sanchez (12-2, 5 KOs) via fourth-round TKO.