After Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) controlled a high-level chess match for the first six rounds, Nakatani (32-1, 27 KOs) kicked the fight into second gear and forced the issue against his countryman, but he fell short on the cards via scores of 115-113, 116-112, 116-112.

After the fight, it was revealed that Nakatani fractured his left orbital bone.

Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, the American promoter who's been involved with Inoue and Nakatani, was ringside for the captivating clash. Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, the founder of the Las Vegas-based company, was watching the fight from home as he recovers from knee replacement surgery. The duo shared their thoughts on the mega matchup with The Ring.

"It was a really entertaining fight, and both guys gave it their all," said Arum. "It's hard to score a fight when you are not there, but you can't argue with 115-113."

Inoue outlanded Nakatani 140-120, and the Japanese juggernauts were separated by just two total punches thrown, according to CompuBox.

“It was a terrific, tactical fight and you can tell both guys had such respect for one another,” said duBoef. “Inoue wasn't just jumping in like the terminating monster early on, which was a little surprising. But he had to be careful and cautious of Nakatani. The first four rounds were close on the margins.

“When Junto started moving forward and being aggressive, the whole dynamic in the stadium was like, ‘uh-oh, here it comes.’ You could just feel it because Inoue was on his heels a bit for a few rounds. But the headbutt with a minute to go in the 10th and the eye injury, unfortunately, affected the fight and Junto’s momentum, because he was really on the offensive.”

Inoue had his best round of the fight in the 11th, landing a fight-high 24 punches. He continued momentum into the 12th to seal the deal and leave no doubt that he was the better fighter.

“I think Nakatani did great and certainly elevated his profile,” said duBoef. “It was a really good fight with great ebbs and flows, and you can see the clear momentum swings.

“It was that compelling, and that good a fight, that I could see a rematch. I'm not saying it's going to happen. We’re fortunate to help charter their careers, but it's up to promoters Hideyuki Ohashi and Akihiko Honda to figure that out. They all have to take a deep breath and decide where they want to go. You can see many different roads for both of them.

“Throwing Jesse Rodriguez into the equation makes a lot of sense, and I can see him first taking on Nakatani. With Inoue's career, you don't know what he wants, right? He's older now and very successful and will go down as an all-time great.

“But I'm not sure Inoue wants to move up to featherweight and try to chew off someone like WBO champion Rafael Espinoza, who’s even bigger physically than Nakatani. I'm not sure that's a good matchup at this point in his career. I think Inoue has probably hit his maximum weight at 122 pounds.”

Arum also agreed that Inoue should continue fighting at the junior featherweight limit as momentum mounts for a potential fight against Rodriguez.

“I don’t think Inoue would do too well if he went to 126,” said Arum.