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Inoue Defends Titles in Tokyo; Benavidez Faces Ramirez in Vegas

5/2/2026

Summary

Inoue Defends

Boxer Naoya Inoue will defend his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against boxer Junto Nakatani at Tokyo Dome on May 2, 2026.
The 55,000-seat Dome is sold out, with the fight streaming worldwide on DAZN.
Boxer David Benavidez will fight boxer Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for the WBO and WBA titles in Las Vegas on May 2, 2026 after Ramirez’s June 2025 unanimous win over Yuniel Dorticos and Benavidez’s November 2025 seventh-round TKO of Anthony Yarde.

Summary

Inoue vs Ioka

Takuma Inoue fights former pound-for-pound star Kazuto Ioka for the WBC bantamweight title.
The undercard features Shimomachi vs Abe (featherweight), Tanaka vs Sasaki (welterweight) and Yun vs Moriwaki (super-middleweight).
DraftKings odds list Inoue –265, Ioka +205, and main-event odds Inoue –400, Nakatani +300.
DAZN charges $30.99 per month or $224.99 per year, with a $20.99 pay-per-view option.
The Tokyo Dome hosts its fourth boxing match, nicknamed the “Tyson Dome.”

Summary

Inoue Promotes Fight

NordVPN offers a 73% discount and a free Amazon gift card up to $50 to unlock the fight.
Lemino charges ¥6,050 for pay-per-view with pre-registration by May 1 and ¥7,150 on fight day.
DAZN no longer provides a free-trial for new subscribers.
Naoya Inoue says he wants to show boxing is great and attract new fans.

Summary

Inoue Predicts KO

Nonito Donaire predicts Naoya Inoue will retain his titles by knockout.
He recalled Inoue’s 2019 WSBS bantamweight final decision win for the WBA belt, his June 2022 Saitama knockout in round two for the WBC belt, and that Inoue suffered a fractured orbital bone and broken nose in the 2019 bout.
He said Junto Nakatani must press forward because his height forces him to fight mid-range where he risks being hit.

History

Historical Context

Mike Tyson’s 1996 bout with Evander Holyfield earned about $100 million and 1.5 million PPV buys, proving that marquee fights could drive subscription sales for HBO. That model inspired later global events, and Naoya Inoue’s May 2026 Tokyo Dome showdown on DAZN, backed by DraftKings, follows the same PPV-driven streaming strategy to expand boxing’s worldwide audience.

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Inoue Defends

Boxer Naoya Inoue will defend his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against boxer Junto Nakatani at Tokyo Dome on May 2, 2026.
The 55,000-seat Dome is sold out, with the fight streaming worldwide on DAZN.
Boxer David Benavidez will fight boxer Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for the WBO and WBA titles in Las Vegas on May 2, 2026 after Ramirez’s June 2025 unanimous win over Yuniel Dorticos and Benavidez’s November 2025 seventh-round TKO of Anthony Yarde.

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