World Championship Fight

Naoya "Monster" Inoue vs Jamie McDonnell

From the General Gym of Ota-City in Tokyo on Friday, May 25th, the world champion Naoya "Monster" Inoue 15-0-0 (13ko) will move up in weight to face the WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell, while the WBC light flyweight champion Ken Shiro will make the third defense of his belt in a rematch against Ganigan Lopez.

Broadcast Information

This double world championship card, promoted by Ohashi Promotions and Teiken Promotions, will be exclusively televised in the United States at 7:15 a.m. ET on ESPN +

Fight Preview

After making seven defenses of his title, Inoue is moving up to fight an established champion in McDonnell (29-2-1, 13 KOs), who has made six defenses of his title since winning the belt in May 2014. Inoue, known for his respectable punching power in the super flyweight division, will test his luck in the bantamweight division against the more beatable champion. The fight is heavily favored towards the Japanese fighter due to his home advantage, power, and McDonnell's lackluster results in his recent defenses. Inoue will showcase how he adapts to the bantamweight division and if his monstrous punching power can be seen.