Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani to defend his undisputed super-bantamweight crown in one of the biggest fights in Japanese boxing history.
After 12 brutal rounds, 'The Monster' Inoue retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts as he beat compatriot Nakatani with scores of 116-112,116-112 and 115-113, in front of a sell-out crowd of 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome.
Defeat ended the perfect 32-fight record of Nakatani as the three-division champion could not overcome the ferocious power and spiteful combinations from Inoue.
"He was a fighter with a strong heart. That's what makes this win mean so much," said Inoue, a four-division champion.
Reflecting on his first loss, Nakatani said: "I came prepared so there were no surprises, but the champion was great."
Inoue appeared to edge the early rounds with his precise punches and smooth footwork, but Nakatani responded well in the fifth, unloading a flurry of thudding punches.
Hurtful right hands from Inoue stalled Nakatani's attempts to rally in the seventh, but the skilful southpaw briefly stunned Inoue with an uppercut in the ninth.
Nakatani suffered a cut over his right eye following a head clash in the following round, although the wound did not diminish his aggression.
Into the closing rounds, both fighters traded power shots at close quarters until the final bell, but Inoue had done enough to reassert his dominance at super-bantamweight.
