Naoya Inoue to Open Newly-Constructed IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan
- Matthew Brown
- May 2
- 2 min read
05/02/2025
The Monster is coming to Nagoya. And so is the war.
Naoya Inoue, the reigning, defending and undisputed super bantamweight champion of the world, will officially christen the newly-constructed IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan, when he defends his undisputed crown against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, sources tell Brunch Boxing. It will be the first mega-event for the 17,000-seat venue.
The fight, which BoxingScene.com reports will take place on September 14, marks the next chapter in Inoue’s legendary career and closes the book on the previous era of super bantamweight.
The bout against Akhmadaliev, a former unified champion and Olympic bronze medalist from Uzbekistan, had once been dismissed by Inoue’s camp and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum.
“No chance. Who is this guy? Nobody’s ever heard of him… We’re not gonna fight a no-name guy in Wembley,” Arum said bluntly in June. “Inoue means so much to Japan. It’s the same Inoue with three titles as with four.”
Inoue’s Japanese promoter Hideyuki Ohashi also echoed the reluctance to face the then-mandated challenger. The WBA had ordered the bout in early 2024, but it seemed to many that Inoue was in no rush to honor the sanctioning body’s request. However, time — and perhaps a shortage of worthy foes — has changed that.
“Done deal, finally. Uzbek Power vs. The Monster. Best fight in the division,” Akhmadaliev’s promoter Eddie Hearn tweeted Thursday morning.
Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs), who lost his unified titles in a decision to Marlon Tapales in 2023, has long lobbied for a chance to face the top dog in the division. Now, with Inoue awaiting a future showdown with rising pound-for-pound star Junto Nakatani, Akhmadaliev will get his chance in Japan’s most modern arena.
“I’m ready to fight Inoue anywhere,” Akhmadaliev said earlier this year. “If he doesn’t want to, he can simply vacate the title, and I’ll fight for the championship.”
Instead of vacating, Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) will meet him head-on, following his May 4 title defense against Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 15 KOs) on ESPN at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The September bout will mark the first major sporting event held at the IG Arena, a state-of-the-art venue set to open in July 2025. Built as a replacement for the historic Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, which opened in 1964 during the Tokyo Olympics era, IG Arena is positioned to become one of Japan’s premier indoor sports and entertainment destinations.
With a 17,000-person capacity, the venue is expected to host over 150 events and 1.4 million visitors annually, spanning global music tours, basketball, volleyball, combat sports, and more. Now, its first headlining act will be none other than Naoya Inoue, one of Japan’s greatest athletes and a global icon of modern boxing.
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