A Masterclass by Naoya Inoue and the Shocking Death of a Beloved British Boxer

Hours after the coronation of Terence Crawford, Naoya “Monster” Inoue entered the ring in the Japanese coastal city of Nagoya where he risked his unified super bantamweight title against Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev, a former Olympic bronze medalist and former IBF world title-holder.

That Crawford and Inoue would appear in such temporal proximity was likely no accident. Prior to Saturday, they were in a virtual three-way tie with Oleksandr Usyk for the unofficial title of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter.

Terence Crawford was a tough act to follow, and Inoue likely slipped a notch below Crawford in the court of public opinion simply because he was unable to extend his skein of 11 straight knockouts. However, the 32-year-old Japanese sensation turned in a masterclass against a worthy opponent, improving his record to 31-0 (27) with a lopsided decision against the capable Akhmadaliev (14-2) whose only meaningful punch came late in the final round with the outcome a foregone conclusion.

After the bout, Inoue announced that his next fight will come in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December. Per Jake Donovan, the date will be Saturday, Dec. 17, and the opponent Mexico’s David Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs). The semi-main, per Donovan, will pit Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) against Tijuana’s Sebastian Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs).

Inoue and Nakatani are on a collision course and are expected to meet next year in what will be the biggest domestic fight in Japanese boxing history. Nakatani was in attendance tonight as was Top Rank’s indefatigable globetrotter Bob Arum.

In the semi-main, Christian Medina produced a big upset, unseating WBO bantamweight title-holder Yoshiki Takei via a fourth-round TKO. It was the first pro loss for Takei (11-1) who was a consensus 11/2 favorite.

It was all one-way traffic as Medina knocked Takei to the canvas in the opening round and finished matters three rounds later with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to waive it off.

It was the second trip to Japan for Medina (26-4, 19 KOs). On his previous visit, to Osaka in 2023, he was out-pointed by Ryosuke Nishida in an IBF bantamweight eliminator. He hails from Guadalajara and his victory over Takei was a welcome relief for the folks back home after a far more celebrated Guadalajara man came up short in Las Vegas.

Ricky Hatton

As boxing fans in Great Britain were sitting down to their mid-day meal today, the news came across the telly that Ricky Hatton had passed away at the age of 46. According to the police report, Hatton was found unresponsive in his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, at 6:45 am local time on Sunday. His death, says the report, “is not being treated as suspicious.”

The older of two fighting brothers – Matthew Hatton was a world class welterweight – Ricky Hatton grew up in a rent-subsidized housing complex. His signature win came in June of 2005 when he stopped Kostya Tszyu who was badly beaten when his corner pulled him out after 11 frames. The sold-out crowd, 22,000 strong at MEN Arena, “erupted in a delirious cacophony of celebration,” wrote John Rawling for The Guardian. It was considered one of the best wins ever by a British fighter in an international fight on British soil, ranking right up there with Randolph Turpin’s upset of Sugar Ray Robinson in 1951.

Hatton retired in 2009 with a record of 45-2 (32 KOs). His only defeats were inflicted by Floyd Mayweather Jr (L TKO by 10) and Manny Pacquiao (L KO by 2). After three-and-a-years away from the sport, he made an ill-advised comeback, stopped in the ninth round by the Ukrainian, Vyacheslav Serchenko, to finish 45-3.

Ricky Hatton’s fighting style, wrote Rawling, Was “modeled on the fierce, body punching Hispanic greats.’ One of his best wins was a fourth-round stoppage of Jose Luis Castillo who he collapsed with a body punch. But Hatton’s popularity owed to more than his fighting style. Fans appreciated his down-to-earth demeanor. His standard way of celebrating a big win was to quaff a few pints with his boyhood pals at the local pub. “He was a man of the people,” wrote Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan on “x.”

Hatton’s fans, wrote Ed Graney in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, followed him with a passion as intense as the passion they might display if their local soccer club was playing for the Premier League title. When he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December of 2008, hotel room rates on the Las Vegas Strip averaged more than three times what they were the previous year when the National Finals Rodeo was the only game in town.

Three years ago, Hatton fought an exhibition with Marco Antonio Barrera. He was planning to return to the ring in December for an exhibition in Dubai.

May he rest in peace.

Photo: courtesy of Naoki Fukuda via Top Rank

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