Boxing
Naoya Inoue outclasses Alan Picasso to retain super-bantamweight crown in comfortable fashion
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Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight crown in dominant fashion against Alan Picasso as the Japanese favourite took his fourth win of the year in Riyadh.
'The Monster' backed up victories over Kim Ye-joon, Ramon Cardenas and Murodjon Akhmadaliev with a superb performance at The Ring V: Night of the Samurai to end 2025.
Success tees up Inoue for arguably the biggest domestic title fight in Japanese history against Junto Nakatani, after the latter's win over Sebastian Hernandez on the undercard.
But it will take something special to dethrone the pound-for-pound star, who comfortably outclassed a spirited Picasso in a 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111 unanimous decision.
A measured first round saw Inoue work the edges of the ring, before showcasing his electric hand speed with a range of body blows alongside his right hook across the second.
Picasso sought to counter in the third, but frequently found himself moved around the ring as his rival fought off the back foot in the fourth, exploited by a ruthlessly fast hard jab.
Inoue landed more blows in rapid-fire bursts over the fifth, snapping the Mexican's head back, and kept him close to the ropes in the sixth, even against countered midriff shots.
Limited late hooks from Picasso offered a glimpse in the seventh, but his opponent's sheer volume and footwork meant it was just stubborn durability that kept him in the contest.
The Japanese star continued to exert heavy pressure with superior movement in the ninth, further alternating his attack in the tenth as he sought to secure a stoppage triumph.
Needing his own knockout to salvage a result, Picasso dug deep in the championship rounds, attempting to throw everything and the kitchen sink at his foe in the eleventh.
A handful of late hooks in the final round found no purchase however, with Inoue expertly managing the final few seconds to the bell - and with it, yet another top-tier triumph.
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