IS RETIREMENT CLOSE: WHY NAOYA INOUE SAYS HE "ABSOLUTELY CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE
Naoya Inoue defends his undisputed crown against David Picasso in Saudi Arabia. Discover why "The Monster" is weighing retirement.
Naoya Inoue is thinking about retirement with Junto Nakatani on the horizon: ‘I absolutely can't afford to lose.’
You can't beat time.
Inoue is 32, and he's already hinting that age might be catching up to him. He's getting set for his Saturday fight against David Picasso in Saudi Arabia, headlining The Ring V: Night of the Samurai on DAZN PPV.
Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) is still at his best. He's the undisputed junior featherweight champ and one of the best fighters around.
“The Monster” knows he's not going to last forever, just like everyone else. There's also a chance that Nakatani could take his spot if he beats Picasso. They might fight next May.
“I absolutely can't afford to lose,” Inoue said on DAZN's On The Ground series.
“I'm motivated by my position in the division. I've done well. Now that I'm 32, I'm thinking about when I'll retire.
“Because Junto Nakatani is on the same card, fans are already looking forward to our fight next year. So I need to show them I'm still great. We both need to win.”
Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs), who has won titles in three divisions, is making his 122-pound debut in the co-main event against Sebastian Hernandez.
Nakatani, 27, is seen as the next big thing after Inoue.
Inoue has won titles in four weight classes, starting at 108 pounds. He's been at 122 for over two years. He's 7-0 in that class and has defended his undisputed title five times, most recently against Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September.
That win against Akhmadaliev was only the fourth time in Inoue’s 13-year career that he heard the final bell. Before the Akhmadaliev fight, he was knocked down twice in four fights. People started wondering about his chin and whether he could take punches as he moved up in weight.
As the talk gets louder, Inoue’s father and trainer, Shingo, is talking about retirement too as they get ready for Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs).
“He’s not young anymore,” Shingo said. “I don't think he has much time left. I hope he can fight with everything he has in his remaining fights. If he does that, he'll get the results he wants.”
Inoue is fighting for the fourth time this year. From 2021 to 2024, he fought twice each year. But Inoue has said he'll probably only fight twice in 2026, and he's not as interested in moving to 126 pounds since Nakatani is waiting for him.
“I’m not heavy enough for featherweight yet, and I still have some physical concerns,” Inoue said. “I'm both nervous and excited about that, so I want to try it.
“As long as I'm still great, I'll be proud. But if I'm not satisfied, if I don't feel that way anymore, that’s when I'll start to get worse as a fighter.
“Once you stop pushing yourself, it's over.”
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
_1778508156.webp)
Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
