The Ring: From the moment you first met him, did you think he was special?

HO: “Yes, completely different. His presence was different. People are amazed by what he’s achieved, but I wasn’t surprised at all. I always thought this was how it would turn out.

“From early on, he had punching power, great timing on counters, good footwork. Everything was perfect. Mentally, too.”

The Ring: Even if you expected it, was there still a sense of shock, like, “There’s a kid like this?"

HO: “Yes, there was. Probably the biggest surprise I’ve ever had. Even in elementary and junior high school, there were fights where his opponents were knocked out and carried away on stretchers.

“In high school, he won the Inter-High national tournament as a freshman and senior. As a sophomore, he lost when his opponent used movement well — that must have been humiliating — but by his senior year, he’d already won the All-Japan Championships, which included adult competitors.”

The Ring: There’s a story that when joining Ohashi Gym, Inoue said he only wanted to fight strong opponents.

HO: “That’s true. He was saying things like that even before joining the gym.

“For his pro debut, when we brought in a weaker opponent following conventional thinking, he refused. So he ended up fighting an OPBF-ranked opponent right away. After that, by his fourth fight, he’d faced a Thai champion, Japan’s No. 1 contender and the Japanese champion (Ryoichi Taguchi, a future unified Ring champion at junior flyweight).

“His younger brother Takuma is the same. In 2017, Takuma broke his right hand. For his comeback fight, an offer came to fight a strong world-ranked opponent, Hiroyuki Hisataka, but I turned it down without telling Takuma. When Takuma found out, he insisted on taking the fight. He did — and he won.

“The same thing happened when Naoya jumped two weight classes to challenge WBO [junior bantamweight] champion Omar Narvaez. I tried to stop him, but he went through with it.

“They believe it’s OK to fight strong opponents, even if you lose. You can always come back and take revenge.”

The Ring: Among all of Inoue’s fights, which one stands out most to you?

HO: “The fight against Emmanuel Rodriguez in the U.K. in 2019. At the time, Rodriguez was highly rated. I thought that if Inoue were ever going to lose, it might be against him. But instead, he won by a spectacular knockout.

“Another one was in September 2016 in Zama, against Petchbarngborn Kokietgym. Naoya had injured his back and could barely move. I honestly thought he might lose.

“Watching the rounds go by, I wondered if such a great boxer might lose there but he turned it around and won by knockout. That fight really sticks with me.”

The Ring: When talking with Inoue himself, I always sense the tremendous trust – or rather, respect – he has for you. Where does that come from, and how did that relationship develop? What do you consider important in your relationship with him?

HO: “Inoue and I have been working together for a long time now. Really, it’s been a long time, and I think we’ve shared a lot of struggles together, so there’s a kind of accumulated trust built up over the years. What I always keep in mind is to make sure he experiences no stress – letting him do things the way he wants, getting him into the ring in the best possible condition, completely free from stress. That’s something I always pay attention to.”

The Ring: If the Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani fight happens, what does this match mean for you? Is it, in a way, a culmination of everything?

HO: “The fact that a Japanese fighter has emerged who can fight Inoue in a way where you really don’t know who will win is a huge deal. Honestly, up until Nakatani’s fight against Sebastian Hernandez in December, I thought Inoue would easily dominate Nakatani. But because Nakatani struggled against Hernandez and then made significant adjustments, he’s become an even more formidable and scary opponent.”

The Ring: You actually observed Hernandez’s strength during sparring at Ohashi Gym, didn’t you?

HO: “As he showed in the Nakatani fight, he is a fighter who, in the later rounds, displays strength like a crazed wolf. Both Naoya and I thought this, but we really considered that Nakatani could actually lose. He’s that strong and unpleasant an opponent. Beating such an opponent is a huge accomplishment for Nakatani.”

The Ring: What would you say are Nakatani’s strong points?

HO: “His height and his decisive punches. He can throw big punches after slightly adjusting his timing, and his inside short uppercuts — those rising punches — are really good.”

The Ring: So you expect such a formidable opponent will become even stronger?

HO: “Nakatani will get considerably stronger from here. Thanks to the experience of that fight, I think he’ll be roughly 1.5 times stronger by May.”

The Ring: Do you think he will be Inoue’s toughest opponent so far?

HO: “Of course, absolutely. Without a doubt, his toughest opponent ever. Stronger than any previous opponent by far.”

The Ring: Inoue surely understands this, and he tends to perform well against such opponents.

HO: “Exactly. He gets motivated, and I think it will be an incredible match.”

The Ring: The venue is Tokyo Dome. As a promoter, will this be the biggest event yet?

HO: “Of course it will be. The Inoue vs. Luis Nery fight in May 2024 was big, but this will surpass that. A Japanese matchup has a different kind of excitement. I want to show people how amazing boxing is. I also want this to be an event that attracts attention worldwide.”

The Ring: How did you feel about Inoue’s performance against Alan Picasso?

HO: “I don’t think it was very good. After seeing the first round, I thought it would probably go to a decision. Picasso was basically fighting as if his goal was simply to take it to the judges, so once it turned into that kind of fight, there wasn’t much that could be done. In training, Inoue was in great form — probably the best of his four fights in 2025 — but perhaps he lacked the tension or focus during the actual fight.”

The Ring: Before the fight, there was some talk that Inoue’s next fight might not be Nakatani, but a challenge for a title in a fifth weight class (at featherweight). Did that speculation arise because of the possibility that Nakatani might lose to Hernandez?

HO: “You can’t say before a fight that Nakatani might lose. ... That’s why that talk came up. Hernandez was highly regarded, and everyone at Ohashi Gym thought so.”

The Ring: Previously, you mentioned wanting to develop good fighters in the upper weight classes. Is that still one of your motivations?

HO: “Yes. Inoue has already taken care of all the lower weight classes up to junior featherweight, so now it’s the upper weights. [Yuga] Fujiki will debut at featherweight or junior lightweight and move up gradually. Eventually, we want him aiming for a lightweight title.

“He has qualities similar to Inoue. Everything about him is good, but above all, his dedication to boxing is incredible. He won the All-Japan Championships while still in high school and came straight to Ohashi Gym for sparring without a break. Normally, a high school senior might travel or relax, but he hasn’t. He came to the gym on New Year’s Eve, during the holidays. His passion for boxing is amazing. At 18, he’s still a kid, but he doesn’t seem to want to play or have fun.” (laughs)

The Ring: Finally, Chairman, what motivates you now, and what are your goals?

HO: “After Inoue, it’s Fujiki. That’s the next focus. It’s still just the beginning. We’ve only just reached the starting line.” (laughs)

The Ring: Inoue often says he wants to be the one to succeed you after retirement. Does that make you happy?

HO: “Of course it does. If Inoue and Akira Yaegashi (former three-division world champion, now a trainer) take over the gym together, that would be unbeatable. I can still do a lot, but time passes quickly, so I need to prepare. (laughs) Once those two are at the top, I might become a trainer, just teaching fighters.”