Naoya Inoue is not wasting much time mapping out the rest of his 2025 campaign.
Ten days after knocking out Ye Joon Kim in Japan, the undisputed junior featherweight champion Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) is moving on to his long-planned return to the United States against WBC No. 1 challenger David Picasso (30-0-1, 17 KOs).
A source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Ring on Monday that the targeted date for the fight is June 14 in Las Vegas. The contract is not yet finalized, however, according to the source. On Saturday, The Ring
reported that Inoue-Picasso was slated for a June date at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The four-division champion Inoue, The Ring’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, has previously stated that his preference is to fight at the MGM Grand, home to some of the most iconic fights in boxing history over the last 30 years.
Inoue, 31, is planning for a busy year. If all goes well against Picasso, “The Monster” would return for a September fight in Japan and close out the year on a December Riyadh Season show in Saudi Arabia, perhaps against WBA mandatory challenger Murodjohn Akhmadaliev.
Inoue’s fight versus Picasso would mark his sixth at 122 pounds and the fourth defense of his undisputed title. Should Inoue stick around in the division, there is also the desire for him to face fellow Japanese countryman Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs), a three-division champion, the current WBC 118-pound belt holder, and The Ring’s No. 9-ranked pound for pound fighter.
Inoue has also alluded to an eventual move up to 126 pounds.
Picasso, a 24-year-old upstart from Mexico, had an active 2024 and was undefeated in five fights. His best win came against former world title challenger Azat Hovhannisyan in August.
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for Ring Magazine. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.