Naoya Inoue has put himself in pole position for another monumental opportunity, courtesy of his unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani.
The two Japanese stars squared off at a sold-out Tokyo Dome, with Inoue successfully defending his undisputed super-bantamweight crown.
While being a sizable pre-fight favourite, ‘The Monster’ was never likely to encounter a straightforward night’s work against Nakatani, who entered their much-anticipated clash as an unbeaten three-weight world champion.
Sure enough, Inoue showcased his speed and elite-level jab in the early rounds, only for Nakatani to gather momentum and enjoy a dominant 10th frame.
In response, though, Inoue demonstrated exactly why he is a two-division undisputed king, regaining his control in the final two sessions to claim a convincing points victory.
But instead of chasing five-division world champion status at featherweight, the 33-year-old is likely to remain at 122lbs for a short while longer.
This is because he is edging closer towards a blockbuster showdown with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, who will face WBA world bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas on June 13.
If his upcoming assignment proves successful, then the unified world super-flyweight champion is set to jump up a further weight class in pursuit of the Inoue fight.
As reported by The Ring, Turki Alalshikh is hoping to stage their undisputed super-bantamweight contest in January, so long as Inoue keeps hold of his four major belts.
This would present Rodriguez with the chance to become a four-division world champion – should he defeat Vargas, that is – while being involved in arguably the most significant lower-division fight of all time.