Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs) lost a competitive 12-round decision against The Ring and undisputed junior featherweight champion on May 2, though he remains positive about what's to come.

"It was really fun, an irreplaceable experience for my career and life ... it would be a waste not to use this as fuel," Nakatani said last weekend when describing his Inoue encounter, per Yahoo Japan.

"There were a lot of moments where we both wanted to land punches but couldn't, it's rare to miss that much. Fighting Inoue allowed me to grasp how well I can move and perform, so I want to show everyone I can become a world champion at junior featherweight."

Inoue fractured Nakatani's left orbital bone with an 11th-round uppercut. The Ring's No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer continues to recover slowly after successful surgery last month.

While unlikely given their respective trajectories, the skilled southpaw is open to a rematch.

"I think Inoue would also be making adjustments, so I won't know [how things are different] until we fight again, but I would like to do it. If there is demand, a second round is definitely possible," the 11-year pro said.

He echoed the same sentiment for fellow three-division world champion Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, who made an emphatic 118-pound debut earlier this month by stopping WBA titlist Antonio Vargas in six rounds.

"He showed a high performance level [against Vargas] and is an extremely talented fighter," Nakatani said. "There was talk of a match [between them] when I was at bantamweight so if the timing is right, I would still like to do it."

Rodriguez (24-0, 17 KOs) is expected to face promotional stablemate Christian Medina (27-4, 19 KOs) in a WBA/WBO title unification later this year. Inoue is not short on options across two weight divisions, with promoter Hideyuki Ohashi hinting at a February return with "something incredible again" to come afterward.