Naoya Inoue is making a significant return to support his claim as the best pound-for-pound boxer, defending his undisputed junior featherweight title against Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14.

The bout will headline the newly built Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed this matchup as a “done deal” back in May and officially announced it during a recent press conference. Both Inoue and Akhmadaliev triumphed over their respective opponents in May, setting the stage for this face-off.

Inoue, boasting a record of 30-0 with 27 KOs, ranks No. 2 in CBS Sports’ boxing pound-for-pound rankings. Akhmadaliev, with a record of 14-1 and 11 KOs, has been the WBA’s mandatory challenger for Inoue’s title. Inoue has labeled Akhmadaliev as the “toughest” opponent of his career in a recent tweet.

Both fighters share a common opponent in Marlon Tapales, a former WBA and IBF champion. Inoue claimed his undisputed title by defeating Tapales, while Tapales previously edged out Akhmadaliev to become a unified champion.

In addition to the highlighted fight, there are two other matches slated for the event. WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei will face mandatory challenger Christian Medina for the third time, and Yuni Takada will battle Ryusei Matsumoto for the WBA (regular) strawweight title.