UNANIMOUS BUT UNHAPPY? FIND OUT WHY INOUE APOLOGIZED AFTER BEATING ALAN PICASSO
Naoya Inoue defeats Alan Picasso by unanimous decision in Riyadh. "The Monster" admits fatigue after his 4th win of 2025.
Naoya Inoue of Japan, still undefeated, mentioned he was beat after his unanimous decision victory over Alan Picasso from Mexico in Riyadh this Saturday. This marks his fourth victory in the fourth month of 2025.
The Monster, as he’s called, defended his super bantamweight titles for the sixth time. This fight was his Saudi Arabia debut after inking a deal with Turki Alalshikh, the guy steering the ship in the kingdom's boxing scene.
Even so, he couldn't quite knock out the tough Picasso and had to settle for a unanimous decision, his second in a row.
At 32, Inoue's year has been packed, and he chalked up his performance, which he admitted wasn't good, to being worn out.
"I'm tired, to be real," he confessed after his record hit 32 wins, with 27 by knockout. It's not just about the four fights, but all the hard work prepping for them.
You can handle it when it's happening because you're just thinking about the fight, but now that it's done, I see that I really gave all I had, he continued.
Inoue's win opens the door for a potentially huge fight with fellow countryman Junto Nakatani in Tokyo next year. Nakatani also won by unanimous decision against Sebastian Hernandez of Mexico earlier that night in his first super bantamweight fight.
Inoue pointed out that nothing's set in stone yet but said he’d love to set up a fight that would get everyone in Japan hyped.
Against Picasso, Inoue was eight centimeters shorter. Picasso also came into the fight without a loss, just one draw in 32 wins.
From the get-go, Inoue's skill was clear as he landed some solid hits in the early rounds.
In the sixth, Inoue shook Picasso again, but the Mexican fighter started throwing punches.
Picasso hung in there, making it to the 12th round, but the judges' decision was pretty clear by then.
This is the second fight in a row that Inoue has gone the distance, after beating Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan by unanimous decision back in September.
"No disrespect to Picasso, but I wanted to show a bigger difference between us and knock him down," Inoue said. I didn't live up to my own expectations or fight the way I wanted to.
Nakatani got a reality check in the super bantamweight division in his fight against Hernandez.
The 27-year-old seemed good in the first half, but Hernandez wouldn't give up and fought his way back into the game.
Nakatani did just enough to win and kept his record perfect at 32 wins, 24 by knockout.
He called the fight an experience and is hoping to fight Inoue next.
"I moved up to this division to win world titles, so if I get the chance, I want to take it," Nakatani stated.
EGIS KLIMAS CONFIRMS MULTI-FIGHT AGREEMENT FOR OLEKSANDR USYK VS DEONTAY WILDER 2026
Oleksandr Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, confirms a "very likely" 2026 fight against Deontay Wilder in either Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
A possible fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder may happen at the following time, according to Usyk’s manager.
In 2025, Oleksandr Usyk had only one bout in the ring, where he knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their rematch.
After that fight, there were rumours that the Ukrainian may retire from the sport because of had almost cleared out the heavyweight division.
Despite that, rumours were soon debunked, and the former undisputed heavyweight champion announced that he would be interested in facing former heavyweight title holder Deontay Wilder.
Usyk’s Manager Offers Date for Wilder Bout
It was reported a few weeks ago that Usyk had voluntarily relinquished his WBO heavyweight title. As a result, he is no longer undisputed.
Shortly after that announcement, the 38-year-old revealed he would like to fight ‘The Bronze Bomber,’ deeming him ‘one of the greatest heavyweights of the last 10 years.’
And when he was at the Night of the Samurai event last week, Usyk again was asked about his next potential opponent, and he repeated his desire to face Wilder.
On the likelihood of the fight, Usyk’s representative Egis Klimas told The National, “It’s very likely (we will see Usyk vs. Wilder). Because right now we’re working on it, and we’re working on some multi-fight agreement for Oleksandr.
“As soon as we confirm that, we’re going to jump in. And some talks are already going on with the team of Wilder. We’re looking at Las Vegas or Los Angeles, and the dates are the end of April and the beginning of May.”
The Ukrainian hasn't boxed Stateside since 2019, when he faced Chazz Witherspoon in his first heavyweight bout.
The selection of Wilder, however, is quite surprising, given his recent performance. The 40-year-old boxer is 2-3 in his last five bouts, suffering defeats at the hands of Zhilei Zhang, Joseph Parker, and Tyson Fury.
Would Usyk retire after the upcoming fight with Wilder? At the age of 38, the reality is that Usyk very likely has only a few bouts left in him at the very most. With the bulk of the heavyweight rankings already knocked out, there would be very little opposition left in the sport for Usyk, and retirement after a bout with Wilder would be expected.
32-0 AND COUNTING: IS NAOYA INOUE OFFICIALLY THE GREATEST OF THIS GENERATION?
Naoya Inoue wraps up a flawless 2025, tying Muhammad Ali’s record with four undisputed title defences in a single calendar year.
Inoue wrapped up 2025 with a flawless 4-0, defending his super-bantamweight title four times around the globe and proving he's the best in boxing. Beating Alan Picasso put him back on top of the pound-for-pound rankings, solidifying his place as the sport's biggest name.
Lots of fighters had great moments this year, but no one else showed the same level of consistent dominance, historical importance, and activity that Inoue did.
An Amazing Year of Championship Wins
Inoue finished the year with a 32-0 record (27 KOs) after wins against Ye Joon Kim, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and Alan Picasso. Each fight showed his command of the division, from quick knockouts to smart, well-fought decision wins against top contenders.
People noticed his cool demeanour, accuracy, and how he changes his strategy during fights, proving why he's considered the best.
Looking back at 2025, Inoue said, I wasn't sure about it myself, but I'll do my best to meet your expectations. To everyone who came to Riyadh and cheered us on, thanks a lot for your support.
We had so much support this year. Thanks! Happy New Year!
By successfully defending all four major belts four times this year, Inoue is the only male undisputed world champ left in boxing. He stayed active without injuries or performance drops, which set him apart from everyone else with a title.
While others picked and chose their fights, Inoue was always ready to put his title on the line.
Historical Wins and Worldwide Success
Besides being undefeated, Inoue's 2025 was historically awesome. He tied Muhammad Ali's record by defending the undisputed title four times in a single year.
Inoue also set a new record for the most consecutive world title fight wins, beating records held by Floyd Mayweather and Joe Louis.
His consistency across different countries was just as impressive. Inoue had amazing performances in Japan, the US, and Saudi Arabia, proving he's not just a local star but the most complete global champ in the sport.
This year, Inoue was the best in every category.
While other fighters had strong arguments, no one maintained undisputed control while building their legacy like Inoue did this year.
Inoue's multiple title defences made him the obvious choice.
A Familiar Honour, Earned Again
This is Inoue's second time winning WBN Fighter of the Year, after his undisputed wins in two divisions in 2023.
Winning again shows how great he is at the highest level of boxing. Very few fighters today have combined dominance with constant activity while adding to their legacy.
What's Next?
As 2025 ends, Inoue is not just boxing’s top champ, but the standard for sustained dominance. His wins have him moving from talking about what he could do to what his legacy will be. Future performances will be compared to what he’s already done.
The win over Picasso and return to number one P4P just shows he's unmatched.