Eddie Hearn has never been afraid to ruffle a few feathers, and he has put one of boxing’s biggest stars on blast this week.
Though Hearn had shows on both sides of the Atlantic last weekend in Diego Pacecho vs Steven Nelson and Dalton Smith vs Walid Ouizza, his attention was seemingly drawn elsewhere momentarily.
The only other card of note took place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, where Naoya Inoue defending his undisputed super bantamweight title with a fourth round stoppage win over South Korea’s Ye Joon Kim.
The Matchroom boss has been incessantly calling for Inoue to face his charge Murodjon Akhmadaliev, a former unified titlist who is currently mandatory for ‘The Monster’s WBA belt.
However, the Japanese star is reportedly set to take on WBC #1 contender Alan Picasso in Las Vegas next – and, as such, Hearn has put him on blast in his latest interview with IFL TV.
‼️ Bob Arum has confirmed that Naoya Inoue will fight in Las Vegas NEXT 🎰🇺🇸
Inoue says he will then fight in Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦#InoueKim pic.twitter.com/fHSxEhdZHd
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) January 24, 2025
“Why should Naoya Inoue get a pass to fight low level opponents and duck his mandatory? Not once, not twice – but three times!
“I feel like if that was AJ.. imagine if AJ had ducked Usyk. A lot of people said not to fight him, but he said, ‘No, I’m a champion and I want to be undisputed.’
“That’s what you do.
“Inoue’s undisputed and a pound-for-pound great. But I’ve got to say, his resume is pretty s*** to be honest with you.
“I think Naoya Inoue is very disappointing as a champion. Fight fans need to wake up here as to what’s going on.
“He’s been ordered to fight MJ twice now. And he’s paid money to the WBA for a permit to avoid him!
“Now he’s going to fight Picasso! He’s an artist isn’t he? He was last seen doing a little bit of pastel work somewhere! What the f***?”
It remains unclear whether or not Akhmadaliev will get his shot at Inoue, with traction also gaining for a all-Japan mega fight between the four-weight world champion and Junto Nakatani, as well as a move up to featherweight for a shot at Britain’s Nick Ball.
