Murodjon Akhmadaliev will make his return to the ring on May 30, a bout intended to keep him active before a planned September clash with Naoya Inoue. The former unified junior featherweight titlist is slated to fight Luis Castillo on a DAZN undercard originating from Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The May 30 appearance occurs ahead of a potential September 14 showdown against undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue. A deal for the fight has been signed.
The meeting between Akhmadaliev and Inoue is contingent upon both boxers winning their upcoming fights. Murodjon Akhmadaliev must defeat Castillo, while Inoue is scheduled to defend his titles this Sunday against Ramon Cardenas at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Placement on the upcoming May 30 show allows Akhmadaliev to remain active. His last fight was a third-round knockout win over Ricardo Espinoza Franco on December 14 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
That win secured the interim WBA junior featherweight title. The interim belt followed Akhmadaliev's agreement to allow Inoue to delay a mandatory title defense.
Akhmadaliev previously held the WBA and IBF junior featherweight titles for three years. He lost them in April 2023 via split decision to Marlon Tapales.
Inoue, who held the WBC and WBO titles, went on to defeat Tapales by tenth-round knockout in December 2023 to become a two-division undisputed champion.
Murodjon Akhmadaliev has fought twice since the loss to Tapales. Before the win over Espinoza Franco, he defeated Kevin Gonzalez by sixth-round knockout in December 2023, which made him the WBA mandatory challenger.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the September bout is a Done deal. According to Hearn, it ranks as the top fight in the division. The potential clash is expected to take place in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue addressed his immediate future and potential opponents, including Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Nick Ball, and Junto Nakatani.
