
Naoya Inoue locked down his undisputed super-bantamweight status once again with a hard-fought victory over Junto Nakatani on Saturday night.
'The Monster' saw off his fellow pound-for-pound superstar in an all-Japanese affair at Tokyo Dome to underline his division dominance once more.
Victory for Inoue over 'Big Bang' will now surely earn the four-weight champion some rest before his next move, with plenty of options on the table.
As for Nakatani himself, the star will take stock of a first professional loss, but will undoubtedly come back raring to go once again in his pursuits.
So what comes next for both men after Inoue's unanimous decision? DAZN News outlines the options that face each fighter and what they may do.
Having conquered Nakatani to make it yet another successful defence at 122 pounds, it seems likely that Inoue will move on from the division next.
Which direction he takes, however, remains to be seen, with powerbrokers keen for the star to face fellow pound-for-pound player Jesse Rodriguez.
Whether a bout with 'Bam' materialises arguably comes down to Inoue's interest in dropping back to bantamweight to bridge the difference, though.
If that does not appeal, then a move to featherweight - long mooted and now a likely option - could well be what 'The Monster' chooses to pursue.
A three-weight unbeaten world champion before he faced Inoue, 'Big Bang' saw his credentials arguably bolstered in a narrow defeat to his rival.
With his rival already tipping him to make it four divisions with success at super-bantamweight in the future, it seems likely Nakatani will stay here.
Who he gets to fight is another matter, though. Many would be delighted to see Inoue run it back again, but that may not appeal to the champion.
If so, then Nakatani will likely go straight into another title fight, perhaps as a mandatory challenger or even as interim holder, thanks to his ranking.
The WBO world heavyweight title is on the line for Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois on May 9, only on DAZN PPV. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Usyk vs Verhoeven (May 23), with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.


