The biggest boxing event Japan has hosted takes place on Saturday, May 2, live on DAZN, as the undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) defends his titles against former three-division champion Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
With the boxing world focused on this mega fight, I stopped by LA Boxing Gym in Los Angeles, CA, and spent some time with former fighter and now-trainer Rudy Hernandez, who is in charge of preparing Nakatani for the biggest fight of his life.
This fight has been discussed for quite some time, and Hernandez has said in previous interviews that he has been closely watching Inoue for the inevitable matchup between his guy and Inoue. Regardless of the film study, Hernandez questions whether you could ever be “ready” for a fight against someone as great as Inoue.
“That’s a crazy question because are we ready?” Hernandez told FightsATW. “Will we ever be ready? Of course. Bottom line, to be great, you have to fight great. And to get to that status, you have to go against the best. I believe that Naoya Inoue is the best fighter in the world today. I consider him the number one pound-for-pound fighter because he fights often.”
“I’m not taking anything away from Terence Crawford or Oleksandr Usyk, who I consider really great fighters too. But Inoue fights by far more than they do. Why can’t he be number one? Why isn’t he the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world? Maybe because he doesn’t live in America or he’s not American? That’s how America works. Other parts of the world consider Inoue the best fighter in the world.”
All the reports coming out of Japan are that Saturday’s fight will be sold out, with over 55,000 fans in attendance. Although the fight may not be the center of attention in the U.S., that doesn’t mean this isn’t a big fight. In Japan, this fight is what everyone is talking about, with advertisements appearing on vehicles, mass transit, and magazine stands throughout the country. Given the attention it has received so far, Nakatani, training in LA, must still have felt the energy his country has been giving off since the March announcement. Would that result in Nakatani pushing it too much during training camp?
“It’s not about the level of this fight; it’s about the individual. I’m not thinking about tomorrow; I’m thinking about today. We are living in the moment. In order for us to get there tomorrow, we have to work and be in a better place today. Also, is tomorrow promised?”
“Others who have been in this training camp can testify that nothing has changed. Junto has been in here working.” Hernandez added, “We train pretty much the same all the time. There are a couple of moves we’ve been working on, but it’s no big deal. Nothing fancy. Just getting ready for this fight.”
When visiting the gym, it’s hard not to notice the father-son vibe that Hernandez and Nakatani give off, but at times, is the student the teacher? “The problem is that he out-matured me (laughs), ” he said. “I’m still young. I’m training 8- and 9-year-old kids, and I’m with them all the time. Junto has grown and is now 28, and he gives me advice every once in a while, because I haven’t made it to 28 yet (laughs).”
Now that we are finally approaching fight night, what will Hernandez tell Nakatani before walking through the curtain? “We’re ready. Let’s go. Let’s kick his as$,” said Hernandez.
He later added, “We’re going to go in there with the intention of kicking his as$. It ain’t personal. At the end of the day, we want to kick his as$. We want to make sure he gets knocked the f*ck out and gets up after 10 seconds. I want him to get up at 11 seconds.”
But when Inoue and Nakatani make it through the ropes and all that stands between them is air and opportunity, Hernandez gives those watching a peek at his expectations and what it would mean to him if Nakatani wins.
“Two of the best fighters in the history of Japan are meeting, and when that bell rings, we’re hoping it’s us who win. Junto knocking out or beating Inoue would solidify my life. I could die the next day and be okay because life won’t owe me sh*t anymore.”
The buildup and hype for Inoue vs. Nakatani doesn’t get any bigger than this. All that is left is for them to fight on Saturday and see whether Inoue adds to his legendary career or Nakatani becomes the new undisputed king. We will soon find out.
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