Naoya Inoue focussed on building showdown with Japanese rival

The pair are rumoured to be set to square off against each other next year in what would be the biggest fight in Japanese history, and one of the most exciting that can be made in the sport right now.

Both men fight on The Ring V: Night of the Samurai card in Riyadh on Saturday, live on DAZN, with Inoue defending his super bantamweight titles against Alan Picasso and Nakatani having his first fight at that weight against Sebastian Hernandez.

In an exclusive interview with DAZN, Inoue spoke about the importance of building such a huge fight and admits that they both need to look good in Saudi Arabia.

“Boxing, you see, boxing is all about building excitement,” said Inoue. “It’s vital for the sport’s future development and if we’re thinking about making boxing even more popular as it grows, well, we absolutely can’t afford to lose.

“Yes, I feel like I still have to keep building that excitement.”

Inoue confirmed they are on a collision course for next year but it will only happen if they both win this weekend and they can’t afford any slip-ups.

He continued: “Of course, being booked for the same event at this Riyadh venue – well, that’s how it is, I suppose.

“And the fans will be looking ahead to next year with high hopes, so I need to show them from the 27th onwards that I’m still in the mix, you know?

“Yes, both of us winning, that’s the top priority, isn’t it?”

Watch the full interview here.

Watch Ring V Inoue vs. Picasso on DAZN PPV

Naoya Inoue and Alan Picasso headline the Ring V fight night, exclusively on DAZN PPV on December 27.

Purchase as a one-off PPV, or get included at no extra cost with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription, which includes minimum of 12 PPV events per year, plus another 185 fight nights. Monthly and annual options available.

Sign up for Ultimate for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here.