Rafael Espinoza offers Naoya Inoue a fight in Japan

Rafael Espinoza has said he would travel to Japan to fight Naoya Inoue if the undisputed super bantamweight champion moves up to featherweight. Espinoza, the WBO 126-pound champion, made the offer in an interview with The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, conducted in Valencia, Spain, where he is in training camp.

“Inoue, I want a fight with you,” Espinoza said. “It would be an honor for me. … I believe I have the desire, I have the distance, the height, I believe I have the power. I’m not saying I’m going to knock him out, but I do have a lot of hope of being able to win that fight.”

On fighting in Inoue’s home country, Espinoza said: “I would like to fight in Japan. Japan is a good place. I’ve always wanted to fight there. So going there and winning would be the best.”

Naoya Inoue’s next opponent: what is known

Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) beat Junto Nakatani on a unanimous decision at Tokyo Dome on 2 May and retained his four super bantamweight belts. He said afterwards that he would take the rest of the year off, and that his first fight in 2027 might be at featherweight.

At Korakuen Hall on 14 October, gym president Hideyuki Ohashi ruled out April or May for Inoue’s return, leaving February or March 2027 as the intended window. Jesse Rodriguez was the desired opponent but not a signed one. A day earlier, Inoue had said on X that he would begin preparing for featherweight rather than keep waiting for Rodriguez.

Inoue vs Espinoza: records and other options

Espinoza is 28-0 with 24 knockouts. He won the WBO title by majority decision against Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023, and has since stopped Sergio Chirino Sanchez, Ramirez in a rematch, Edward Vazquez and Arnold Khegai. The Khegai fight ended in the 11th round last November.

Espinoza is not the only featherweight champion who could be considered. Bruce Carrington holds the WBC title and Angelo Leo the IBF belt. A fight with Rodriguez at 122 pounds also remains possible. Inoue has not named Espinoza as an opponent, and no negotiations, date or venue have been confirmed.

Espinoza has also said he hopes to unify at featherweight and would consider 130 pounds if those opportunities do not materialise. A win at 126 would make featherweight a fifth division in which Inoue has won a world title, after light flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight.

Espinoza defends against Lorenzo Parra in Riyadh

Espinoza’s next fight is a WBO title defence against Venezuela’s Lorenzo Parra on Saturday 31 October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez against Christian Mbilli, which is on DAZN pay-per-view. Mbilli is defending the super middleweight title against Alvarez in the main event.

Parra has been unbeaten since 2017, and stopped Elijah Pierce in the second round on 28 February. Espinoza, who is training with Alvarez and trainer Eddy Reynoso, said he expected a hard night. “I think it’s going to be a strong, tough fight,” he said. “I’m preparing for the best.”