NAGOYA, Japan – Pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue will have home advantage when he defends his undisputed junior featherweight championship against the WBA’s No. 1 contender Murodjon Akhmadaliev at IG Arena on Sunday.

Inoue, The Ring champion at 122 pounds, has been one of the finest fighters in the world for several years. Now 32 years old, the Japanese star has scored 30 straight wins, 27 by knockout, and annexed world titles in four weight classes. Rarely tested in an immaculate ring career, “The Monster” is now on the cusp of all-time great status and is looking to add another top name to his resume.

Akhmadaliev (14-1, 11 KOs), who is rated No. 2 by The Ring at junior featherweight, is a former unified world titleholder in this weight class. Since losing to Marlon Tapalas in 2023, the 30-year-old southpaw from Uzbekistan has posted three straight stoppage wins, all in different countries, and he comes into this bout in excellent form.

While Inoue is the favorite to retain his treasure trove of world title belts, this assignment could prove to be tricky. Akhmadaliev, known as “MJ,” was a decorated amateur who received an Olympic bronze at Rio 2016. The challenger has excellent ring IQ and timing, has rarely been hurt, and, perhaps crucially, he’s natural at this weight.

Can Akhmadaliev pull off the colossal upset, or will Inoue devour yet another hapless challenger?

The Ring will now attempt to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both men by applying scores between 0 and 5 in key areas.

Inoue has electrifying hand speed with single shots and combinations (see the finishing punches that took care of former two-weight world titleholder Luis Nery for evidence). Akhmadaliev relies more on his timing and accuracy to get the job done.

Like most fighters, Inoue and Akhmadaliev can be shaken up if hit cleanly. The Monster has been down twice in his career and was stunned more than once by Nonito Donaire in their first fight. Akhmadaliev was hurt momentarily by Marlon Tapalas in the only loss of his career. Both men are durable.

Inoue’s positioning and judgment of distance are elite-level. However, in this category, he is matched by an opponent who has displayed a great set of wheels since turning professional in 2018. MJ is a very smooth mover and will be looking to set traps.

From 108 to 118 pounds, Inoue would have been a solid “5” in this category. The champion still hits hard enough to take opponents out at 122, but he’s taking a bit longer to get the job done now. Akhmadaliev is a stiff and respectable puncher but not an authentic knockout artist.

Inoue is equally devastating down both sides.

The only reason Inoue doesn’t score maximum points here is that the jab isn’t his top priority. When the champ uses it, it’s a very quick and effective punch and works well for me. However, Inoue is so determined to unleash hell with power shots that the stick isn’t a signature weapon. The same cannot be said of MJ, who uses the jab to set up his other punches and diversifies it brilliantly.

In terms of power, speed, and technique, Inoue may be the best hooker in the game. If the Japanese star is landing hooks flush, then you can start planning out the rest of your day because the fight is about to end. Southpaw Akhmadaliev uses the right hook very well on the counter.

Any power punch that Inoue throws is as good as it gets. The power is obvious, backed up by a 90-percent knockout ratio, but it’s the speed and technique that make him lethal. Single right crosses knocked out Juan Carlos Payano and Jason Moloney, while a blockbuster right uppercut set up the straight right that ended Luis Nery last year. While Inoue owns this category, these are also good punches for the challenger. Akhmadaliev uses the right jab to set up a quick left cross and is also capable of scoring damaging left uppercuts to the head and to the solar plexus.

While neither guy is invisible, they are both very adept defensively. Inoue is an extremely aggressive fighter, but he’s capable of making opponents miss and making them pay on the counter. Akhmadaliev is a natural counterpuncher, so he also excels in this area.

Inoue is arguably the best-conditioned fighter in all of boxing. If forced to go late in a fight, he remains just as effective, which is backed up by late-round triumphs over Paul Butler and Marlon Tapalas. Akhmadaliev has a great engine, which was never more evident than in his last-minute victory over Ronny Rios in 2022.

Both men are world-class professionals. Whenever Inoue has been faced with adversity, he has responded the way a great fighter should. Following Akhmadaliev’s upset loss to Tapalas in 2023, he’s bounced back with three impressive stoppages and looks as good as ever.

Inoue hasn’t heard a judge’s scorecard for almost six years and has knocked out his last 11 opponents. That tells its own story. Even though Akhmadaliev is not known as a puncher, he is a calm and accurate finisher when he has his man hurt.

Inoue is a brilliant problem solver and has adapted to every style he has faced. The champ only loses half a point because he can be careless, which showed up in the knockdowns he suffered against Nery and, more recently, Ramon Cardenas. Akhmadaliev has had things mostly his own way, but he struggled to outwit Tapalas, who matched him for patience and accuracy before handing him his only career defeat.

Inoue has been a world champion in four weight divisions over the past decade. He has seen everything and has been a mainstay on any pound-for-pound list worth reading since 2018. Akhmadaliev was an Olympic bronze medalist and is a former unified world titleholder in this weight class.

Inoue has finished many opponents with a ferocious body attack and is still capable of doing it at junior featherweight. The left uppercut to the solar plexus is a notable weapon for MJ, who can also do plenty of damage to the mid-section.

On both of the occasions when Inoue has found himself on the canvas, he’s been in close. On the inside, a fighter’s peripheral vision is reduced, so Inoue’s aggression has worked against him in that posture. However, don’t get it twisted. The Japanese hero is more than capable of inflicting hell on the inside, so one has to be cautious. Akhmadaliev likes to draw leads and punch with opposition when he sees the gaps. He has excellent shot selection up close.

The knock on Inoue from some fans is that he hasn’t faced elite opposition. However, The Monster was taking down world-class fighters before most fans knew who he was. In just his fourth professional fight, he scored a dominant 10-round decision over future IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine junior flyweight champion Ryoichi Taguchi. In his eighth paid outing, Inoue blasted out long-reigning junior bantamweight titleholder Omar Narvaez in two rounds. For context, Argentina’s Narvaez is on the Hall of Fame ballot. Inoue has beaten over a dozen current or former world titleholders and has more than paid his dues with wins over Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano, Nonito Donaire (twice), Stephen Fulton, Nery, and Tapalas. Akhmadaliev can’t match that, but he has mixed with some of the best this weight class has produced, including Daniel Roman, Ryosuke Iwasa, and Ronny Rios.

Inoue is a straight-up warrior. Donaire fractured the Japanese hero’s right orbital bone in the second round of their first encounter and hurt him numerous times in that fight. The Monster took everything his opponent could dish out and gave it back with interest. And on both occasions when he's been knocked down, Inoue got up to knock out the perpetrator. Akhmadaliev has rarely been hurt in a fight, but Inoue is the biggest puncher he will have ever faced.

Inoue is a near-perfect prizefighter. He’s lightning quick with incredible fast-twitch reflexes, and his power is awe-inspiring. While Akhmadaliev is a nice mover, he can’t match the champion in this area.

Father-trainer Shingo Inoue is extremely underappreciated in the West, but he’s one of the best boxing trainers in the world today. The same can be said of Akhmadaliev’s coach, Joel Diaz, who is a former world title challenger and a terrific teacher. Diaz was also the trainer for Ramon Cardenas, who managed to knock Inoue off his feet and put forth a spirited effort in May.

This one likely goes long. During his time in the bantamweight division, Inoue’s nine victories lasted an average of 5.2 rounds. Since moving up another four pounds, his past six wins have lasted an average of 7.1 rounds. The reason for this is obvious: Inoue is chopping away at bigger trees, so it’s taking longer for them to fall. Akhmadaliev is a terrific opponent and cerebral in the way he goes about his business. He’ll be patient and eager to avoid an early mistake. His southpaw jab will be key, but his lead can’t get predictable, or Inoue will hurt him on the counter. Akhmadaliev has the ring smarts and know-how to make Inoue earn this victory the hard way. A distance fight is possible, but I believe that a solid body attack will open up Akhmadaliev for the uppercut and that he could suffer his first stoppage loss.

Naoya Inoue TKO11 Murodjon Akhmadaliev