Naoya Inoue is slated to appear in the ring against WBA No. 2 contender Ramon Cardenas at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 4th May in the fourth defense of his undisputed super bantamweight title. However, Eddie Hearn has been growing impatient with the undefeated Japanese boxing star for avoiding a fight against his boxer despite multiple orders from the WBA.

In mid-2024, the WBA ordered Inoue to defend his titles against the No. 1 ranked contender for WBA, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, but the ‘Monster’ fought TJ Doheny instead. Later that year, after Akhmadaliev secured the ‘Interim’ WBA super bantamweight title, the WBA ordered Inoue again to defend his title against the Uzbek fighter. However, Inoue once again avoided the fight to instead square off against the IBF mandatory Sam Goodman.

It’s worth noting that the WBA made concessions to let Inoue avoid the two fights. While the fight with Goodman didn’t end up happening because of the Aussie’s eye injury, Inoue chose to replace him with Ye Joon Kim. This has led to frustration in the Akhmadaliev camp, with his promoter Eddie Hearn voicing his concerns. Previously, Hearn accused Inoue of ducking his fighter, stating, “Inoue is flat-out ducking Akhmadaliev,” Hearn told IFL TV. “You can’t deny it.”

In response, Inoue retorted, “Why do I have to run away from someone who lost to [Marlon] Tapales? There’s zero need for it,” Inoue wrote on X. “If you want to fight, keep the ‘value’ of winning and wait! Now I’m fully focused on the Goodman fight.” However, now the two parties seem to have come to an agreement, as Hearn revealed updates on the long-awaited Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev fight.

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“We are finalizing terms for Akhmadaliev to fight Inoue in September,” Hearn told Boxing Scene. “The upcoming fight with Cardenas can only be for undisputed if we allow it. Because he’s been ordered to fight Akhmadaliev for the title, and he’ll be stripped if he doesn’t.”

“So we are working on a deal with Mr. Honda [Inoue’s management], whereby we will agree to wait again,” Hearn added. “But we will fight Akhmadaliev in Japan in September. We’ve agreed terms. We now wait to sign a contract, which we haven’t done yet.” Meanwhile, Akhmadaliev has revealed what it has been like chasing a fight against Inoue.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev can’t keep waiting for Naoya Inoue

Murodjon Akhmadaliev was tired of waiting for his shot at Naoya Inoue. The former unified champion feels he has waited long enough and is not willing to step aside without guarantees. “My team has a great relationship with Turki Alalshikh,” Akhmadaliev told The Ring in January. “If His Excellency wants something, he gets it.” 

“He wants the best fights, and there is no better fight at 122 than me and Inoue,” Akhmadaliev added. With Inoue’s next fight against Cardenas set, Akhmadaliev is next in line for a fight, which was previously speculated to be set in Saudi Arabia. “It sounds like a great plan. In reality, though, it needs to be pen-to-paper,” Akhmadaliev insisted. “It has to be negotiated.”

While a deal now seems to be in place, Akhmadaliev isn’t willing to wait longer, as he believed Inoue should vacate the title. “We can’t keep being told, ‘Next fight, next fight,’ and they keep adding more fights in between,” he noted.

That said, it appears Murodjon Akhmadaliev has finally been granted his wish to fight Naoya Inoue, as Hearn revealed there’s a deal in place. However, there’s a small possibility that everything will fall apart if Inoue loses his next fight, which is a very distinct possibility. Do you think Akhmadaliev can beat Inoue? Is Inoue ducking the Uzbek?