Nakatani was cut near his left eyebrow in the 10th round after an accidental headbutt. Inoue amplified the pressure in the 11th to land a fight-high 24 punches and throw a fight-high 68 punches, many of which were right hands targeting Nakatani’s left eye.

The offensive onslaught left Nakatani (32-1, 27 KOs) wincing and on the defensive midway through the round, as Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) piled on the pressure in the championship rounds to separate himself as the clear winner.

The captivating clash between pound-for-pound entrants was even on one scorecard heading into the 11th, and Naktani was down two points and four points on the others before Inoue closed the show in style to win via scores 115–113, 116–112 and 116–112.

"I have a few injuries, but I'll heal up properly and fight again," Nakatani said on social media shortly after the fight. "Thank you so much for all the support. It was so much fun."

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan