Naoya Inoue is certain he proved by beating Murodjon Akhmadaliev convincingly that he is the same formidable “Monster” he has been in recent years.

Detractors doubted Inoue was still his usual dominant self after Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas dropped the undisputed junior featherweight champion in bouts he came back to win by stoppage over the past 19 months. The Japanese icon went 12 rounds for the first time in almost six years versus Akhmadaliev, but he outclassed the southpaw from Uzbekistan and beat him by big margins on the cards September 14 in Japan.

“I was knocked down against Luis Nery and against Cardenas, but I understood exactly why those knockdowns happened,” Inoue told The Ring’s Daisuke Sugiura. “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 [against Akhmadaliev] showed clearly that this wasn’t the case.”

An active Inoue will defend The Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 122-pound championships he retained three months ago again Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) is an unsightly 45-1 favorite, according to FanDuel, to beat Mexico’s Alan Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) in the main event of “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai” show at Mohammed Abdo Arena.

Inoue, 31, wasn’t as aggressive as usual in defeating Akhmadaliev (14-2, 11 KOs). He prioritized defense over entertaining fans and beat the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist more methodically on his way to a 118-110, 118-110, 117-111 victory.

The expectations placed upon Inoue, a four-division champion ranked third on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, made him reckless at times in his pursuit of quick knockouts. Inoue is sure such aggression led to Nery knocking him down during the first round in May 2024 and Cardenas dropping him in the second round seven months ago.

Inoue recovered quickly and came back to beat Nery by sixth-round TKO and Cardenas by eighth-round TKO. Those brief moments of vulnerability made Inoue reassess his approach when he squared off against Akhmadaliev, The Ring’s No. 2 122-pound contender.

“That’s why I feel that my biggest opponent now is my own career,” Inoue said. “Looking back at those two knockdowns, I think in some ways my career itself worked against me. Early in my career, I don’t think I would have rushed my punches like that or thrown careless shots in the middle of trying to finish someone. In that sense, I now feel that when I was 22 or 23, there were aspects of my boxing that were actually superior.”

Nonetheless, Inoue is confident he showed he could be effective over the course of 12 rounds during his victory versus Akhmadaliev. He hadn’t gone 12 since he beat Nonito Donaire unanimously in November 2019.

“My stamina hasn’t declined at all,” Inoue said. “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.”

Subscribers to DAZN’s monthly Ultimate plan can view the event headlined by Inoue-Picasso for $44.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. It is also available via pay-per-view for $39.99 in the U.S. and £19.99 in the UK.