One of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers in the world, “The Monster” Naoya Inoue, is back to defend his Undisputed Super Bantamweight title against Alan Picasso at The Ring V: Night of the Samurai. This event is taking place at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Inoue, 32, has a 31-0 record with 27 knockouts, and his most recent victory came against Murodjon
Akhmadaliev in September. He beat Akhmadaliev by unanimous decision, and this was his first decision win since 2019. Inoue has won 19 of his last 21 fights by knockout, which is impressive.
Picasso has also never suffered a loss in his career, with a record of 32-0-1, and has won 28 consecutive fights since his draw against Martin Delgado in 2018. Even though both fighters have never lost in their careers, Inoue is a massive -4000 favorite, with Picasso a +1400 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Willibaldo Garcia was scheduled to defend his IBF Flyweight title against Kenshiro Teraji on this card, but the fight was canceled after Garcia became sick after his weigh-in.
Former WBC and IBF Bantamweight Champion Junto Nakatani is moving up to 122 pounds and will face Sebastian Hernandez in his first fight in this division. Nakatani is 31-0 with 24 knockouts and has won five straight fights by knockout. His opponent, Hernandez, is also undefeated with a 20-0 record with 18 knockouts. If Nakatani and Inoue both win on this card, a potential massive showdown between two of Japan’s biggest stars could be on the horizon in 2026.
Below is the full card for The Ring V: Night of the Samurai, taking place on Saturday, December 27. This event begins at 4:00 a.m. ET and is airing on DAZN PPV. Naoya Inoue and Alan Picasso are expected to make their ringwalks at 7:57 a.m. ET.
The Ring V: Night of the Samurai Card
Undisputed Super Bantamweight Title Bout: Naoya Inoue (c) vs. Alan Picasso
Super Bantamweight Bout: Junto Nakatani vs. Sebastan Hernandez
Lightweight Bout: Taiga Imanaga vs. Armando Martinez
Super Featherweight Bout: Reito Tsutsumi vs. Leobardo Quintana
