Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani: Picks, predictions, more - ESPN

One of boxing's elite returns to the ring Saturday for what could be his toughest test yet. Naoya Inoue defends his undisputed junior featherweight championship against Junto Nakatani (DAZN, 3 a.m. ET) at Tokyo Dome.

Nakatani will be making his second appearance at junior featherweight in an all-Japanese showdown between two of the sport's most dangerous punchers. Both are multidivision champions and ranked among ESPN's pound-for-pound best, Inoue at No. 2 and Nakatani at No. 6. Inoue is one of only three men to become undisputed in two divisions — alongside Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford — while Nakatani has also held titles at junior bantamweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) is coming off a dominant decision win over David Picasso in December, with scores of 119-109, 120-108 and 117-111 — his fourth victory of 2025, and enters the fight against Nakatani as a -400 favorite to win, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. On that same card, Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) edged Sebastian Hernandez by scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 118-110 to secure the Inoue matchup.

Can Inoue's movement and body work neutralize Nakatani's southpaw power and disrupt his jab?

ESPN asked two former champions and a boxing insider to break down the fight and make their picks.

Editor's note: Content has been edited for brevity and clarity.

I've always been a big fan of Inoue, but I think this is Nakatani's moment. This is the toughest fight he's going to face in his career so far, and I think it's a fight he can handle. I think it'll go the distance, but anything can happen, like a knockdown. Most likely Inoue's going down.

What he needs to do, above all, is box him. Take a risk by throwing multiple punches, but not too many,