Japanese boxing superstar Naoya Inoue, known as 'The Monster', successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Junto Nakatani after a thrilling 12-round contest at the Tokyo Dome.

Inoue, 33, won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 116-112 in front of 55,000 fans, extending his winning streak in world title fights to 28. 'It was different from the fights I've had before, with the pressure. So I'm relieved that I won,' Inoue said afterward.

Both fighters entered the bout unbeaten at 32-0, with the contest billed as the biggest boxing match in Japanese history. Nakatani moved up a division late last year to challenge Inoue.

Inoue started aggressively, but Nakatani closed the gap in the latter half of the fight as the pace intensified. However, a clash of heads late in the 10th round opened a cut above the challenger's eye, stalling his momentum.

'Today I executed the plan that I'd been saying before the fight, to stay focused on winning,' Inoue said. 'As you all know, Nakatani is a mentally strong boxer. The fact that he is in the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings makes this win worthwhile.'

The victory improved Inoue's overall record to 33 wins (27 KOs). Nakatani, a three-weight world champion, saw his record drop to 32-1 (24 KOs). The fight was conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect, with both boxers exchanging smiles and fist bumps throughout.

Inoue was fighting at the Tokyo Dome for the second time, having beaten Mexico's Luis Nery there in May 2024. 'The view I had from the ring was one that only I could savour, but it was thanks to the 55,000 people in the stadium that I was able to see it,' Inoue said. 'I will be back at the Tokyo Dome, so please let me savour this view again.'

Source: www.aljazeera.com