Naoya Inoue's Next Fight Could be on Anthony Joshua Undercard

Naoya Inoue’s Next Fight Could be on Anthony Joshua Undercard

• Naoya Inoue’s next fight could be on the Anthony Joshua card in September at Wembley Stadium.
• The Japanese star recently secured a stunning sixth-round knockout victory over Mexican Luis Nery.
• The 31-year-old looks set to defend his undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight world titles against IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman in his next bout.

Boxing superstar Naoya Inoue’s next fight could be on the Anthony Joshua card in September at Wembley Stadium. Saudi chief Turki Alalshikh is reportedly eager to make it happen, according to Yahoo Japan.

The Japanese star recently secured a stunning sixth-round knockout victory over Mexican Luis Nery. In doing so, he handed the super bantamweight fighter only his second professional loss.

That said, the 31-year-old had to overcome adversity as he was knocked down in the very first round. A left hook from Nery would see Inoue suffer a knockdown for the very first time in his career.

GIVEMESPORT’s Key Statistic: Naoya Inoue hasn’t needed the judges’ scorecards in one of his fights since 2019.

Despite being knocked down in the first round, he showcased his confidence, composure, and high fighting IQ. Following this devastating performance, the Japanese fighter further solidified the argument that he is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers today.

Naoya Inoue’s Next Fight Could Take Place in the UK

Saudi Arabian government officials intend to visit Japan to finalise the deal

The report states that the 31-year-old has received an offer to fight on the card headlined by Joshua – which is scheduled to take place on either the 20th or 21st of September.

Inoue looks set to defend his undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight world titles against IBF mandatory challenger Sam Goodman in his next bout. Following the Japanese star’s fight with Nery, Goodman entered the ring alongside the 31-year-old.

Goodman is 25 years old, holding a professional record of 18-0, coming off of a TKO victory over Mark Schleibs in March. Inoue is reportedly keen to make this fight happen later this year.

The report adds that Saudi Arabian government officials intend to visit Japan before the end of May to finalise the deal, while alternative dates and venues are also being considered.

Inoue has only fought four times outside of his beloved nation. His last fight that didn’t take place in Japan came three years ago when he knocked out Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

Anthony Joshua Reveals Four Potential Opponents for September

‘AJ’ is eyeing up longtime rival Deontay Wilder

With His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and the rest of the Saudi boxing chiefs eyeing up a big event at Wembley in September, it looks as if Joshua is set to headline the potential card. Speaking to talkSPORT about his return to the ring, ‘AJ’ said: “Whenever they tell me there’s a date, you know I’ll be ready 100 per cent. It’s gonna be in London, Wembley Stadium.

“This is what I’m being told. If that’s what they say, they normally back their word so let’s go with that. Wembley, September 20 or 21.”

Joshua, 34, went on to discuss his potential next opponent, revealing: On June 1 in Saudi Arabia they’ve got the 5 vs 5 card. You’ve got Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois, and you’ve got Zhilei Zhang vs Deontay Wilder.

“So providing one of those looks good – the one who looks the best, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said to me, ‘I want you to fight [him].’ What he says is, ‘In the future I want people to look back at your record and say that you took on the best.’

“I said, ‘Now you’re speaking my language.’ So out of that pool, I believe that’s who I’m gonna be fighting, one of those. We’re on the same page and he’s on the same page as the fans as well. He’s trying to deliver what the fans want, I know they want that big fight with Tyson Fury and he’s working on it.

“But Fury’s got his obligations with Oleksandr Usyk so I’ve gotta make sure I stay focused and disciplined, keep steamrolling through opponents so I can get closer and closer to having the opportunity of me vs Tyson Fury.”