Inoue-Ioka Showdown Highlight Huge Inoue-Nakatani Undercard
- Matthew Brown
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
03/03/2026
The undercard for the massive tentpole event headlined by the undisputed showdown between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani is reportedly set.
Serving as chief support to the main event, WBC Bantamweight Champion Takuma Inoue will go head to head with former four division champion Kazuto Ioka. Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs), the younger brother of Naoya, will be making the first defense of the title he captured in an impressive unanimous decision victory over Tenshin Nasukawa, the Brunch Boxing Prospect of the Year. The legendary Ioka (32-4-1, 17 KOs) will look to become the first Japanese fighter to win a title in five separate weight classes.
Also featured on the card, Japanese Super Bantamweight Champion Toshiki Shimomachi will take on former featherweight title challenger Reiya Abe. The 29 year old Shimomachi (22-1-3, 12 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision victory in September and continues to build momentum in a competitive division. Abe (28-4-2, 10 KOs) enters the fight riding a four fight unbeaten streak and is determined to reestablish himself as a serious contender with a statement performance.
At welterweight, former title challenger Jin Sasaki faces rising prospect Sora Tanaka in what is expected to be an explosive clash between heavy hitters. Tanaka (5-0, 5 KOs) has quickly developed a reputation as a fast tracked prospect with serious power and confidence. Sasaki (20-2-1, 18 KOs) is looking to continue his comeback after suffering a knockout loss to Brian Norman Jr. last June. He rebounded in emphatic fashion just two weeks ago with a spectacular one punch knockout victory over Marlon Pagalpalan.
The event is expected to take place at the iconic Tokyo Dome on May 2 and will air live on Lemino.
A press conference to formally announce the undisputed showdown between Inoue and Nakatani has been scheduled for 11:30 PM EST on March 5, which corresponds to 1:30 PM JST on March 6 in Japan.
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