Picasso, sometimes listed as David Alan Picasso, is the WBC mandatory challenger. That explains the matchup. Beyond that, there isn’t much buzz around it. The fight is happening because it’s mandatory, not because fans have been pushing for it.
That context is hard to ignore, even with Inoue still performing at a high level. He has stayed active throughout 2025 and remains one of the sport’s most reliable finishers. None of that has changed. What has shifted is the patience around who he’s being matched with.
The rest of the card adds to that feeling.
Junto Nakatani is on the same show, making his debut at 122 pounds against Sebastian Hernandez, also listed as Sebastian Hernandez Reyes.
His move up has been watched closely. So has the decision to place him on the same card as Inoue. No fight has been announced, but the discussion hasn’t gone away.
The undercard has already taken a hit. Hayato Tsutsumi’s interim WBA super featherweight title fight against Jazza Dickens has been canceled, thinning the lineup and removing one of the bouts that had drawn real interest.
Kenshiro Teraji now stands out more on the bill. He is set to challenge defending IBF junior bantamweight champion Willibaldo Garcia, sometimes listed as Willibaldo Garcia Perez. With the Dickens fight off the card, it is now one of the remaining championship bouts on the night.
Inoue is still the anchor. That hasn’t changed. The difference is in how the matchup is being received. It’s more about who he’s fighting than how he’s fighting.
The event streams on DAZN as part of Riyadh Season’s year-end schedule. Inoue will do what he usually does. The bigger question is how long this kind of matchup continues before something more meaningful is put in front of him.
