Inoue v Nakatani: Naoya Inoue beats Junto Nakatani in Tokyo to remain undisputed

After conquering the bantamweight division, Inoue moved up to super-bantamweight in July 2023 and became the undisputed champion later that year.

He has made seven successful defences of that status but has fast run out of serious challengers, leading to speculation that another divisional change could be on the cards.

Moving up to featherweight is an option, but the division lacks household names and a jump to super-featherweight is likely a step too far.

Dropping back down to the lower divisions appears to be the most likely route for Inoue, and preliminary talks are under way, external for a fight with pound-for-pound star Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.

American Rodriguez, 26, makes his bantamweight debut when he fights for the WBA title against Antonio Vargas on 13 June.

Rodriguez has reigned as unified champion at flyweight and super-flyweight, and boasts an undefeated 23-fight record – 16 inside the distance.

Inoue, who has fought five times in the past 15 months, said: “I have been so busy and had so many intensive days, so please give me a rest.”