As far as the undercard goes, Naoya Inoue’s June 7th rematch with Nonito Donaire is much more reminiscent of a standard Japanese show than a Top Rank blockbuster. The co-main event pits Inoue’s brother Takuma against veteran countryman Gakuya Fukuhara, while rising super lightweight prospect Andy Hiraoka takes on Shun Akaiwa.
Inoue (15-1, 3 KO) has won two straight since an unsuccessful 2019 bantamweight title bid against Nordine Oubaali. He returned to the win column in 2021 with a decision over ranked contender Keita Kurihara, then moved up to beat former title challenger Shingo Wake in his super bantamweight debut.
Veteran slugger Furuhashi (28-8-2, 16 KO) stopped Yusaku Kuga for the Japanese title in January of last year, then defended it with a quick finish of Seigo Hanamori and a majority draw in a rematch with Kuga. He’s unbeaten since 2016, and if anyone can drag a barnburner out of the light-punching but technically savvy Inoue, it’s him.
Hiraoka (19-0, 13 KO) claimed his own Japanese title by stopping then-unbeaten Jin Sasaki last October. This figures to be a sizeable step back against Akaiwa (7-3-1, 5 KO), who got flattened by the aforementioned Sasaki in just 45 seconds four fights back.
