Inoue keeps unbeaten record with Akhmadaliev win

Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super bantamweight world titles with victory over Uzbekistan's Murodjon Akhmadaliev by unanimous decision on Sunday.

The unbeaten Japanese fighter took his professional record to 31-0 with a controlled and dominant win over his Uzbek opponent.

It was only the fourth fight the 32-year-old had not won by knockout, proving, he said, "I can fight smart if I want to".

Inoue made an unusually cagey start, perhaps wary after being knocked down in two of his previous four bouts, but landed more big punches as the fight moved into the middle rounds with Akhmadaliev also beginning to let his fists fly.

The gap between the fighters began to widen as the fight progressed, with Inoue taking control and landing some concussive shots to his opponent. By the final bell in Nagoya, the winner was clear.

"I'm not sure how this fight would have turned out if I had fought it the way he wanted to fight it in the first round," said Inoue,

"My team put together a great fight plan focusing on my technique and speed, and that's what delivered the result."

Inoue, nicknamed 'Monster', also who told the crowd that his next bout would be in Saudi Arabia in December.

He also paid tribute to Akhmadaliev, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"I was really motivated for this fight," said Inoue. "I had to really train for this fight and it was because he is so good that I was able to perform as I did."