Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev: Fight Preview and Predictions
The pound for pound great looks to defend his undisputed title on Sunday in Japan
This weekend’s boxing headlines will be dominated by Saturday’s bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford. However, another pound-for-pound elite, Naoya Inoue, will be defending his undisputed junior featherweight championship against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KO) has been labeled as one of Inoue’s most intriguing challengers, being aligned as Inoue’s only available mandatory challenger via the WBA. However, some of his momentum reversed in April 2023 after losing a split decision to Marlon Tapales, which cost him the WBA and IBF junior featherweight titles. Since that defeat, Akhmadaliev has bounced back with three TKO victories against lesser tier opponents.
Conversely, Inoue (30-0, 27 KO) is an entirely different beast compared to Akhmadaliev’s recent opponents. He’s a formidable force, climbing steadily in the pound-for-pound rankings, where he holds the No. 1 position for many.
Inoue, despite his impressive record, has faced tough situations in his recent bouts. In May 2024, he experienced the first knockdown of his career from Luis Nery in the first round. After stopping TJ Doheny and Kim Ye-joon, Inoue found himself knocked down again by Ramon Cardenas. It seems evident that vulnerabilities have emerged which Akhmadaliev will be looking to exploit during their fight.
With two fights seemingly mapped out after this bout, Inoue is set to face WBC mandatory champion Alan Picasso in December and potentially unify titles against Junto Nakatani, who vacated titles to move up a division.
There isn’t much name recognition on the undercard, but another title fight features Yoshiki Takei defending his WBO bantamweight title against Christian Medina. Takei, 29, carries an undefeated record of 11-0, while Medina stands at 25-4.
Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev fight card, odds
- Naoya Inoue (c) -1430 vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev +750, undisputed junior featherweight title
- Yoshiki Takei (c) -590 vs. Christian Medina +380, WBO bantamweight title
- Ryusei Matsumoto -910 vs. Yuni Takada +550, minimumweight
- Yudai Murakami vs. Taiga Imanaga, lightweight
- Ei Go vs. Shunpei Ohata, junior lightweight
Odds via BetRivers
Where to watch Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev
Date: Sept. 14 | Start time: 4 a.m. ET (main card) Location: IG Arena – Nagoya, Aichi, Japan Stream: Top Rank Facebook
Prediction
Akhmadaliev is undoubtedly a skilled fighter, yet he lacks the necessary tools to threaten Inoue significantly. Though, Inoue’s past knockdowns against Nery and Cardenas prove that he needs to remain vigilant. Given Inoue’s speed, power, and overall skill set, he should emerge victorious in this match with relative ease. Expect a potential TKO in around five rounds.
