Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s shot at undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue finally arrives Sept. 14, when they meet at IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KOs) was moving into position to fight Inoue 2½ years ago, but he lost in a title unification fight against Marlon Tapales via split decision. Instead, the former 122-pound titleholder had to string together three consecutive wins to force his standing as the mandatory challenger for Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs).

“I am finally getting the opportunity to fight Inoue,” Akhmadaliev told The Ring. “I have worked very hard to be in this position, and I will show the best version of myself on fight night. I feel like I will be in the best shape of my career heading into this fight.”

Akhmadaliev is confident he can crush The Ring's No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter because Inoue has been dropped twice in his last four fights in the early rounds, against Luis Nery in May of last year and Ramon Cardenas four months ago.

“I can hurt anyone with my punches, and I believe in my power, and I can deliver it, too. He's not an exception,” Akhmadaliev said. “My job is to beat him, and I will do everything in my power to do that. I have the whole package to compete at the highest levels in any department.

"I will prove to the world that I belong, and I'm the best. He's the full package and has all of the skills, but so do I. The ring will show everything. It never lies.”

Akhmadaliev, a 2016 Olympics bronze medalist for Uzbekistan, has been a career-long junior featherweight. In contrast, Inoue started making his mark at 108 pounds and has been at 122 for just six fights over two years.

“He was untouchable at the lower weights, and I think his struggles against Nery and Cardenas are due to the weight of 122 pounds,” Akhmadaliev said. “He's fighting tougher and bigger guys. That gives him issues. He's dealing with more adversity at 122 pounds, and this is my weight class.

“If either one of us gets caught with a clean punch, the knockout will be there. If we exchange and fight in an all-in fight, then the knockout is definitely going to happen.”

DraftKings has Inoue listed as a whopping minus-800 betting favorite and Akhmadaliev a plus-500 underdog despite Inoue saying that he believes the southpaw is the toughest test of his Hall of Fame-bound career.

Akhmadaliev is used to fighting on the world stage, and has scored a knockout in each of his last four wins. Inoue has notched 11 stoppages in a row.

Akhmadaliev might need a knockout to avoid being on the wrong end of the scorecards, much like he was against Tapales. Inoue became undisputed champion by knocking out Tapales in December 2023 after the Filipino beat Akhmadaliev.

“They wanted this fight in Japan and not anywhere else,”

Akhmadaliev said. “The ring is the same around the world, as long as there is no politics complicating things during the fight.

“Inoue has proven why he's one of the best. His accomplishments are well deserved and I have nothing but respect. But this is boxing, and one punch can change the trajectory of a fight at any time.

"That's why we love this sport. You won't hear any loud promises from me, but I know what needs to be done on fight night. I believe I can do everything to beat him.”