Pound-for-pound star Inoue cruises past Picasso

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Naoya Inoue (right) was taken the distance for just the fifth time in 32 bouts

ByKal Sajad

BBC Sport Journalist

Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue outpointed Alan David Picasso Romero with a classy display to retain his undisputed super-bantamweight title in Saudi Arabia.

Widely regarded as one of boxing's leading pound-for-pound fighters, Inoue, 32, showcased his ring intelligence, fast hands and sharp combinations over 12 dominant rounds.

Picasso, 25, was unable to live with Inoue's speed and body shots in Riyadh as the judges scored the contest 119-109, 120-108 and 117-111 in favour of the champion.

Despite the one-sided nature of the victory, Inoue - a four-division world champion and undisputed in two weight classes - said he was disappointed with his display.

"My performance tonight is not good enough - I should have done better," he said.

The win extended Inoue's perfect record to 32 victories, including 27 by knockout, and sets up a potential showdown in 2026 with compatriot Junto Nakatani.

Nakatani outpointed Mexico's Sebastian Hernandez Reyes on the undercard in a close contest marred by a controversial scorecard.

In a fight where a case could be made for either boxer, two judges scored it 115-113, with the third returning an inexplicable 118-110 card.

Superstar Inoue brushes aside Picasso

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Nicknamed 'The Monster' for his knockout power, Inoue inflicted a first career defeat in 34 outings for Picasso

Following Terence Crawford's retirement, Inoue can be considered among boxing's leading fighters, alongside heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who was ringside.

After assessing Picasso in the opening rounds, Inoue moved smoothly through the gears.

The taller, rangier Picasso enjoyed some single-punch success in the first half, but Inoue appeared largely untroubled by his opponent's power.

Former middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, now president of World Boxing, watched from close quarters as Inoue upped the tempo, throwing fluent combinations and pressing forward with confidence.

Heavy right hands in the fifth and sixth rounds, coupled with repeated hooks to the body, slowed Picasso, whose movement began to fade as the outcome became increasingly clear.

A thudding left hook in the 12th represented a valiant, last-ditch attempt at an unlikely upset, but the bout had long since become a masterclass.

Making a fourth defence of his undisputed crown in 2025, Inoue continues to set the standard for activity at the elite level and places himself firmly in the conversation for fighter of the year.

Ludicrous scorecard but Inoue-Nakatani hopes live on

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Nakatani (right) was fighting at super-bantamweight for the first time

Inoue said in the build-up that his time in the sport is "running out" - but he has options.

There has been speculation about a move up to featherweight to face Liverpool's WBA world champion Nick Ball, while he has also welcomed the challenge of hard-hitting unified super-flyweight champion Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez.

The bout many fans - and influential Saudi Arabian boxing figure Turki Alalshikh - are most keen to see, however, is against Nakatani.

Nakatani, who vacated his WBC and IBF bantamweight titles to move up in weight, was a heavy favourite against Hernandez and controlled the early rounds with sharp uppercuts and effective body work.

Hernandez refused to fade, coming on strongly in the second half as he pressed forward relentlessly and landed telling shots.

The controversial 118-110 scorecard underlined familiar judging concerns within the sport.

Despite the controversy, the unbeaten Nakatani - a three-weight world champion extended his record to 32 wins, 24 of them by stoppage.

"I changed my weight class to aim for the world champion," the 27-year-old said. "If I'm given the opportunity to fight on that stage, I'll do my best."