Inoue keeps unbeaten record with Akhmadaliev win

Inoue keeps unbeaten record with Akhmadaliev win

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Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super bantamweight world titles with victory over Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev by unanimous decision on Sunday.

The unbeaten Japanese fighter took his professional record to 31-0 with a controlled and dominant win over his Uzbek opponent.

It was only the fourth fight the 32-year-old had not won by knockout, proving, he said, “I can fight smart if I want to”.

Inoue made an unusually cagey start, perhaps wary after being knocked down in two of his previous four bouts, but landed more big punches as the fight moved into the middle rounds with Akhmadaliev also beginning to let his fists fly.

“I’m not sure how this fight would have turned out if I had fought it the way he wanted to fight it in the first round,” said Inoue,

“My team put together a great fight plan focusing on my technique and speed, and that’s what delivered the result.”

Inoue, nicknamed ‘Monster’, also who told the crowd that his next bout would be in Saudi Arabia in December.

He also paid tribute to Akhmadaliev, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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Source: BBC

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