Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue delivered another dominant performance on Saturday night in Riyadh, against Alan David Picasso Romero over 12 rounds to retain his undisputed super bantamweight title at Mohammed Abdo Arena. Inoue, the four-belt champion at 122 pounds, controlled the fight from start to finish, earning a unanimous decision by scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111, further solidifying his place among boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters.
Entering the fight at 31-0 with 27 knockouts, Inoue showcased his trademark speed and precision against the previously undefeated Picasso (32-0-1). From the opening bell, Inoue consistently beat Picasso to the punch, established his jab early and repeatedly targeted the body, steadily wearing down Picasso as the rounds progressed. Though Picasso showed toughness throughout and had moments of success with left-hook counters, he struggled to match Inoue’s pace, accuracy and sharp combinations.
Inoue increased the pressure in the early rounds, particularly in the second, when he unleashed a series of rapid-fire combinations that forced Picasso onto the defensive. A left hook to the body in the sixth round visibly slowed down Picasso, who admitted to his corner that the shot had hurt him. Inoue continued to probe downstairs and pile up points, hurting Picasso again to the midsection late in the ninth before closing strongly. The twelfth round produced the most exciting exchanges of the fight, with Picasso deciding to trade in a last-ditch effort, but Inoue remained composed and answered back with power shots of his own.
The punch statistics underscored the one-sided nature of the contest. Inoue outlanded Picasso by 158 total punches, including a commanding 161-63 advantage in jabs landed, a 167-107 edge in power shots, and 30 more body punches (96-66). Inoue averaged 27 punches landed per round, nearly double Picasso’s output of 14 per round over the 36-minute bout.
The win improved Inoue’s record to 32-0 with 27 knockouts and marked another successful defense of his undisputed crown, his seventh at junior featherweight. While Inoue was self-critical afterward with not being able to find the knockout finish, the win further cements his dominance at 122 pounds and sets the stage for a potential all-Japanese superfight with Junto Nakatani in 2026, as Inoue continues to build one of the most accomplished resumes in modern boxing.
