RIYADH: Japan’s Naoya “The Monster” Inoue outpointed Mexican challenger Alan Picasso to retain his super-bantamweight title in Riyadh on Saturday night.
The 12-round showdown was top of the bill for The Ring V: Night of the Samurai event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Boulevard City and held as part of the Riyadh Season.
Despite his victory, the Japanese said the fight did not go exactly to plan.
In the opening fight on the card, junior lightweight Reito Tsutsumi stopped Leobardo Quintana in the fourth round.
“My plan was to get the match going in my pace from the first half. However it came out that I was sort of like accompanying to the opponent’s pace,” Tsutsumi told Arab News.
