Naoya Inoue is reportedly set to face Alan Picasso Romero at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 14. The outing marks the Japanese boxing star’s second of four fights expected this year.
Undefeated Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) is fresh off a win by knockout in the fourth round against late replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim in January in Tokyo. Last year, the 31-year-old two-division undisputed champion from Zama, Kanagawa stopped TJ Doheny and Luis Nery in the seventh and sixth rounds, respectively.
Battling it out in mid-June in Las Vegas, the four-weight champion is expected to make the fourth defense of his undisputed 122-pound title. In his most recent ring appearance in the U.S. in June 2021, also in Las Vegas, Naoya Inoue knocked out Michael Dasmarinas in the third round.
Unbeaten Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) is coming off a win by knockout in the third round against Yehison Cuello last December, marking his fifth successful outing for 2024. In his previous bout in the United States last May on the Canelo vs Munguia undercard, the Mexico City native TKO’d Damien Vazquez in the fifth round. In his U.S. debut last January in Phoenix, AZ the 24-year-old earned a unanimous decision against Erik Ruiz.
The Inoue vs Picasso matchup was reported by Ring Magazine, which also indicated Inoue’s planned fights in September in Japan and December in Saudi Arabia. As noted by Bad Left Hook, Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN KnockOut reported June 14 as the targeted date for the event via social media.
While nothing has been made official yet, Top Rank is expected to make the announcement.