When it comes challenges, Naoya Inoue loves seeking them out. The only problem is that he hasn’t found many.

Outside of his first matchup against Nonito Donaire, Inoue has been in relative cruise control. Even when he was sent to the canvas against Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas, Inoue assumed control almost immediately following the knockdowns.

Although it’s been somewhat of a cakewalk, Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) does have a few tough obstacles in front of him. Featherweights Nick Ball and Rafael Espinoza are seemingly bigger and stronger than him, while 122-pound rival Murodjon Akhmadaliev promises to take him out when they clash in September.

All of those fighters will be a handful, but one may have the Japanese sensation's number when they fight and that is Junto Nakatani, the current WBC bantamweight champion.

A verbal agreement is already in place, but a date and location have yet to be revealed. Inoue, though, has one in mind.

“Maybe next May 2026,” he told a group of reporters following his eighth-round TKO of Cardenas in Las Vegas recently.

Inoue is comfortable at junior featherweight. He also holds all of the division’s hardware. So, it’ll be Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) who will have to move up in weight to take risks. Both are ranked in The Ring’s top 10 pound-for-pound and proudly carry their home country's flag on their shoulders.

Whenever Nakatani's name is mentioned, you can spot the smile on Inoue’s face from a mile away. Beating The Ring’s No. 7 ranked pound-for-pounder may push him from the No. 2 slot back to the top of the mountain.

Their showdown is the worst-kept secret in boxing, but don’t bring up Inoue’s name to Nakatani during these next few weeks. His attention is fully on Ryosuke Nishida and his IBF title. The two are scheduled to throw down June 8 at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.