This interview with Naoya Inoue was conducted on November 25 at the Ohashi Gym in Yokohama. Earlier that morning, his younger brother Takuma had his post-fight press conference following his victory in the WBC bantamweight title bout the previous day (In Japan, it is customary for the winner to appear not only immediately after the fight but also at a press conference the following day.). Coming right on the heels of Takuma’s victory over the highly regarded Tenshin Nasukawa, the eldest brother was also in an exceptionally good mood. Part I of Inoue's interview that ran earlier can be found here heading into his Dec. 27 matchup with Alan Picasso on DAZN.

"From the highlight I’ve seen, Picasso looks like a hardworking fighter. I don’t feel he has one standout weapon, but like a typical Mexican fighter, he battles with great effort. What I’m most cautious about is what I experienced with Ramon Cardenas in May, fighters facing me often perform above their usual level. I have to be wary of that.”

“I did say that, but preparing specific strategies for each opponent — studying how to fight that particular boxer — is something I do for every fight. I think I’ll be more aggressive, yes, but since Picasso is tall, there will be things I need to read carefully. I want to react and adapt well in every moment.”

“Both the media and fans who thought that. I was knocked down against Luis Nery and against Cardenas, but I understood exactly why those knockdowns happened. Some people said two knockdowns in a year meant my reflexes were slowing or that I was declining, but it wasn’t due to age or dulled reactions. I think my performance showed clearly that this wasn’t the case.”

“Let me clarify: When fighting true champion-level opponents, I don’t go in thinking I will force a knockout. If an opportunity comes naturally, I take it. Of course, there are fights where you must knock your opponent out or shouldn’t let it go to the scorecards. But in fights like Fulton, Marlon Tapales, Nery, and Akhmadaliev, since moving up to super bantamweight,I never went in planning to force a stoppage. What was unique about the Akhmadaliev fight was that even when I saw moments where I could have gone for the finish, I held myself back. That was the first time in my career.”

“Of course there was. But I also understand that this is my weakness now. Opposing teams strategizing for me know this, too. They think my desire to entertain makes me attack aggressively at times, and that those moments are openings. So I’ve started thinking that maybe I don’t need to prioritize entertaining the fans in every fight.”

“My ideal is the Akhmadaliev style with the finish — hit without getting hit — and then decisively close the show. To achieve that, I need to enter every fight with the same level of concentration and motivation as I did for Akhmadaliev. Whether I can do that again for Picasso, that’s the challenge. I intend to.”

“Of course, I see it as a big fight. I rate his ability highly. A matchup that generates this much excitement in Japan doesn’t come around often.”

“I definitely view him as a future opponent. My behavior toward him hasn’t changed, but mentally, yes, there’s awareness on both sides.”

“If we’re going to do it, we need to create momentum. Not just make the fight happen, but create a story leading up to it. Fighting on the same Saudi card and then facing each other next May, that’s a perfect storyline. If I hadn’t called him out then, maybe we wouldn’t be fighting together in Saudi now. Even if he moved up to super bantamweight, it might not have been this early.”

“I’m always in fighting condition, so I feel comfortable. I can stay in battle mode all the time. It’s easy for me, but four fights a year puts a huge workload on Chairman [Ohashi of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange] and the staff so I worry more about them (laughs).”

“Yes, it’s easier. My lifestyle feels very smooth — comfortable, even. If I only fought twice a year, the pace would slow down. The off-period becomes longer and it’s difficult to stay mentally sharp for six months straight without a fight. For me, having four fights this year wasn’t bad. But that only happened because the Sam Goodman fight at the end of last year fell through, which pushed the Ye-Joon Kim fight into this year. So in reality, it’s six fights over two years. Ideally, I think three fights a year — spring, summer and winter — is the best rhythm.”

“I can do it because I love boxing. I love training, and I love fighting. Even if I’m keyed up all year, preparing for those three fights is something I enjoy, so it never feels difficult.

“If I didn’t [love boxing], I would have quit long ago. I’ve already accomplished enough that I could stop whenever I want. If I didn’t love it, I’d have retired by now.”

“I’ve heard it might be two fights next year. If that happens, it would probably be May and then either November or December.”

“No. My stamina hasn’t declined at all. As you saw in the Akhmadaliev fight, I can move for 12 rounds with no issues. My reactions to punches haven’t faded, either. So the challenge is maintaining that sense of tension. At the same time, emotionally I’m more stable now. Not just in boxing, but through life experiences. I feel things are coming together in a positive way.”

“Yes. Even in training, when I was younger I just worked blindly or relied on physical strength. Now I can give meaning to each session. I can decide, ‘Today I’ll work on this.’ In that sense, aging has brought more fulfillment.”

I can still fight at super bantamweight without any issues. Making weight is not difficult for me at all. I don’t think there’s any need to move up unless there’s a real reason.”

“I think he’s strong, although I’ve never watched one of his fights in full. He’s the type of boxer I like, and stylistically I think the matchup would work very well and it would be a fun fight. If he moves up in weight, he could absolutely be one of the possible opponents. But right now he’s still fighting at super flyweight.”

“If I’m only fighting twice next year, the May fight will be in Japan, and then it depends where the other fight ends up. As of now, nothing is decided beyond May, so there’s no discussion yet. If there’s an opportunity to fight in the U.S., I’d definitely like to do it again.”