A matchup almost three years in the making is finally official.

Undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue and WBA interim beltholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev both successfully weighed in below the 122-pound limit before their much-anticipated world title duel at Nagoya's IG Arena, Japan.

Ring titleholder Inoue looked the part on home soil, tipping the scales at 121.7 pounds as he makes his third appearance of 2025.

Akhmadaliev was a similarly shredded sight, coming almost half-a-pound lighter at 121.3lbs against The Ring's No. 2-rated pound-for-pound operator.

Inoue-Akhmadaliev will air live on Lemino in Japan, Top Rank's Facebook page in the US, UK and the Philippines, and ESPN Knockout across Latin America. Estimated main event ringwalks are 6.40am ET/11.40am BST.

Three-and-a-half months after keeping busy with an eighth-round stoppage win over Mexico's unheralded Luis Castillo in Guadalajara, the 30-year-old challenger has an opportunity to steal the show in the final course on a busy weekend of boxing.

Matchroom-backed Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KOs) won and made three defences of the WBA and IBF world titles, before suffering a surprising 12-round split decision defeat by Marlon Tapales in April 2023 - just as promoter Eddie Hearn was talking up a possible Inoue clash.

Inoue, who announced himself to the weight class by dismantling WBC/WBO beltholder Stephen Fulton in seven rounds three months later, made easy work of Tapales on December 26 that year with a 10th-round knockout finish.

As such, Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) finished 2023 as a four-division, two-weight undisputed titleholder and Akhmadaliev's pursuit of the 32-year-old has only intensified since then as both continued winning on their respective trajectories apart.

The hard-hitting Uzbek has proven too good to dismiss any longer and positioned himself so Inoue had to fight or vacate his WBA crown. Gone are the respectful gestures and traditional robes for Inoue and father Shingo as shown on Friday, now it's down to business.

Is he catching Japan's premier fighter at the right time? Many critics sense he's increasingly vulnerable after being floored by Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas a year apart.

Other lucrative bouts remain in the offing for both should they prevail, but Kenshiro Teraji's latest outing reinforced the sport's unpredictability - even among the very best.

Elsewhere, WBO bantamweight titleholder Yoshiki Takei (11-0, 9 KOs) makes a third defence of his world crown after masterfully blasting beyond Thailand's unbeaten contender Yuttapong Tongdee on May 28. Another statement showing and he'll be looking to unify, especially with Ring/WBC/IBF ruler Junto Nakatani set to move up in weight imminently.

He weighed in bang on the limit at 118lbs, while Mexican contender Christian Medina Jimenez (25-4, 18 KOs) came in slightly smaller at 117.7lbs.

12 rounds

Undisputed junior featherweight titles: Naoya Inoue (c) vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev

WBO world bantamweight title: Yoshiki Takei (c) vs. Christian Medina Jimenez

Strawweight: Ryusei Matsumoto vs. Yuni Takada

JBC Japanese lightweight title, 10 rounds: Taiga Imanaga vs. Yudai Murakami

8 rounds

Junior featherweight: Toshiki Shimomachi vs. Han Sol Lee

Junior lightweight: Ei Go vs. Shumpei Ohata

Bantamweight, four rounds: Taisei Ayano vs. Yusuke Nawa