Picasso came forward early in the opening round, but Inoue controlled the distance with his jab. In the second round, Inoue opened up with a two-fisted attack while Picasso fought back and had moments of success. In the third round, Picasso briefly forced Inoue to the ropes, only to be cleanly countered as Inoue continued to land the more effective punches.
The fourth round continued with Picasso pressing and countering Inoue. In the fifth, Picasso landed a left hook to the chin early, and Inoue answered with a right hand later in the round. Midway through the sixth, Picasso landed a three-press combination, though Inoue finished the round with sustained offense that seemed to swing momentum back in his favor.
Inoue continued to bank rounds in the seventh rounds, while Picasso remained competitive without doing enough to take control. In the eighth, Inoue began to relax, at times dropping his hands, dropping fingers and landing clean shots after drawing in Picasso. His bodywork began to show effect. In the ninth and tenth rounds, Inoue largely dictated the action, although Picasso landed a notable left to the body late in the tenth.
Late rounds: Inoue closes strong
Picasso had moments in the eleventh, which Inoue briefly backed up, but was again countered to the head and body. In the twelfth and final round, Picasso continued to press with his hand up, but Inoue’s power and accuracy carried the exchanges. Inoue’s left hooks to the body were especially effective in the stretch. Judges scored the fight 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111. Raul Caiz Jr. served as referee. Inoue was presented with a Ring Magazine belt after the fight.
Co-main event: Nakatani vs. Hernandez
In the co-main event, IBF and WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani retained his titles with a disputed decision over Sebastian Hernandez after twelve rounds.
The opening round was competitive, with Nakatani landing the cleaner left hands. Hernandez came up with a high guard and limited output in the second round, before Nakatani rocked him with a left hand over the top late. Nakatani continued to score with left uppercuts and counters in the third, injuring Hernandez again in the closing seconds.
Hernandez responded in the fourth by maintaining pressure and finishing the round strong. The fifth was Hernandez’s best round to that point as he worked the body and forced exchanges. In the sixth, Nakatani landed a late flurry that brought the crowd to life, although Hernandez ended the round with a final punch.
Hernandez took the seventh with greater output and carried that momentum into the eighth, supporting Nakatani while absorbing takers. In the ninth, Nakatani rallied early, but Hernandez finished the round with sustained offense. By the tenth Hernandez had Nakatani down, and in the eleventh Nakatani fought on with his right eye nearly closed as Hernandez continued to press.
Disputed decision at Bantamweight
The twelfth round saw Hernandez chase Nakatani around the ring, forcing turns and exchanges. Nakatani’s right eye was then swollen shut at the final bell. Many observers felt Hernandez did enough to at least secure a draw. Judges twice returned scores of 115-113 for Nakatani, with a third card reading 118-110. Deon Dwarte observed.
Garcia scores knockdown in lightweight bout
On lightweight, world-ranked southpaw Eridson Garcia Japanese standout Taiga Imanaga by split decision over ten competitive rounds. Imanaga found success early, landing clean left hands and combinations, while Garcia began to assert himself midway through the fight.
Garcia took control in the later rounds, scoring a knockout in the eighth with a right hook that looked to be the difference on the cards. Imanaga showed determination and came back strong on points, but Garcia finished the fight with the more effective work. The scores were 96-93 Garcia, 95-94 Garcia and 95-94 Imanaga.
Tsutsumi stops Quintana in fourth
Rising super bantamweight prospect Reito Tsutsumi stopped Leonardo Quintana at 1:14 of the fourth round of a scheduled six. Quintana switched positions early and applied pressure, drawing blood from Tsutsumi’s nose, but Tsutsumi stunned him late in the first and proceeded to trade a competitive second and third.
In the fourth, Tsutsumi landed a clean left, followed by two right hands to the chin, sending Quintana down. Referee Danrex Tapdasan waved off the fight without a score.
Michael Buffer handled introductions for the main event, with Thomas Treiber serving as ring announcer.
