Naoya Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion, stated that Alan David Picasso's good defense was key to him not being able to get the knockout last weekend in Saudi Arabia.

In a press conference after the fight, Inoue stressed that he is not happy with his performance against Picasso, but acknowledged that the Mexican fighter was not an easy target.

“I wasn't very happy about it. I understand that's what was expected of me, so I wanted to knock him out, but Picasso was very good defensively and it was difficult to beat him in that sense. This is what boxing is all about. Sometimes the timing is perfect, sometimes it isn't, that's why sometimes I can knock out my opponent, sometimes I can't, but that will be my challenge for the future,” he said.

In the fight that headlined “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai” card, Naoya Inoue dominated the contest from start to finish with his characteristic speed and technical precision against a courageous Alan Picasso who, although he lasted all twelve rounds, couldn't break down the undefeated champion's defense.

In the end, the judges' scorecards read 120-108, 119-109, and 117-111 in favor of Inoue thus retained his four junior featherweight world titles in his fourth fight of the year. The Japanese fighter was not happy with his performance and acknowledged that he could have done better. Following the victory, the undisputed champion is being linked to a fight with Junto Nakatani in Riyadh. Naoya Inoue, 32, defended his undisputed junior featherweight championship for the sixth time and reaffirmed his place as one of the best boxers in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Japanese fighter has a record of 32 wins (27 by knockout) and no losses. Alan David Picasso, 25, suffered his first professional loss in a tough fight against the Japanese fighter. The Mexican fighter now has a record of 32 wins (17 by knockout), one loss, and one draw.