INDIO, California – In his effort to produce the impossible, Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev has exercised patience, absorbed perspective and tallied an abundance of travel points.
Akhmadaliev, 30, is in the process of training in the searing Coachella Valley desert of California for his September 14 showdown with unbeaten undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue, 30-0 (27 KOs), of Japan, in a bout to be staged in Nagoya, Japan.
Finally landing the fight as WBA interim titleholder required quite a wait for the former unified 122lbs titlist Akhmadaliev, 14-1 (11 KOs), who endured being passed over multiple times as Inoue’s American promoter Bob Arum called Akhmadaliev an unknown. It required the filing of some legal letters by Akhmadaliev’s attorney, Pat English, to bring the bout to reality.
“I’m very excited, very happy. It’s been nearly two years of back-and-forth negotiations and talks. I’m lucky to be in this position and get the opportunity of a lifetime, to fight for the undisputed world championship,” Akhmadaliev told BoxingScene while watching some of his stablemates fight on a Golden Boy Promotions card.
One of the training partners whom Akhmadaliev shares trainer Joel Diaz’s Indio gym with is Ramon Cardenas, the replacement opponent who scored a second-round knockdown of Inoue in their May 4 bout in Las Vegas before succumbing to an eighth-round TKO stoppage.
“For [Diaz and the cornermen to have just faced Inoue], it is important … it’s always good to know who we’re dealing with,” Akhmadaliev said. “[Inoue’s] from Japan and rarely fights in the U.S., so some don’t really know how good he is. It’s different watching a fight on TV and watching it in real life.
“So, that’s good experience for [my corner], to have seen things about what he does well, where he’s vulnerable. To me, I’m still going to be myself. I’ve been with them before my pro debut, so they know what I’m capable of. Now they know what he’s capable of. It gives them a little bit of an advantage in making adjustments suited for me as I concentrate and work on my craft.”
Since a disputed April 2023 split decision loss to Marlon Tapales – in which one judge scored the bout 118-110 for Akhmadaliev and the other two had it 115-113 for Tapales – the Uzbekistan fighter has climbed back up the WBA’s ratings. Akhmadaliev called upon Inoue to fight after Inoue collected the two belts from Tapales by 10th-round knockout in December 2023.
Instead, Inoue selected former titleholder Luis Nery, an aged TJ Doheny, an inexperienced Ye Joon Kim (as a late replacement for an injured opponent), and Cardenas as his past four foes.
Some of the action was turbulent, with Mexico’s Nery dropping Inoue in the first round before getting finished in the sixth, and Cardenas smashing that stunning power punch to the head in their bout.
Akhmadaliev said he doesn’t view those knockdowns as telling indicators that Inoue is declining, or there for the taking.
“I’m a professional boxer who’s been in the ring all my life. I know that one fight does not define you. It doesn’t change the trajectory of your career. It’s boxing. Sometimes, you look great. Sometimes not. Sometimes you’re sick, dealing with injuries. People don’t know what’s going on before you get in the ring,” Akhmadaliev said.
“It takes being very lucky to be at your best every single time. It takes discipline, professionalism … some people don’t like leaving home. With Inoue, he always performs amazing in Japan, so we expect the best Inoue possible.
“The greatest in this sport fall and get back up, and that’s what makes them the greatest. Everyone can get hurt from one punch. His resume, his greatness, [those knockdowns] don’t take anything away from him. We’re all humans. We can all win, can all lose, can all get hurt. This is boxing. It’s why people watch it, especially in a fight like this when everyone knows my skills and knows I can punch. That’s what makes this fight entertaining. I’m getting ready for the best Inoue possible, and I’m going to try and bring the best M.J. possible.”
Doing so will turn Akhmadaliev into a road warrior again. A 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in Rio de Janeiro, he estimates that 200 of his 300-plus amateur bouts took place in at least 30 countries outside Uzbekistan, while his pro career has been dotted by ventures to “the enemy’s territory.”
“If you look at my professional career, I’ve only fought at home once,” he said. “I’ve gone to Mexico, New York, Puerto Rico, China, faced many American fighters in America. It’s nothing to me to go on the road. That’s what great fighters do. You have to go to the champion’s house and take it away from him.”
At his training home in Indio, Akhmadaliev is connected to a wealth of Eastern European fighters who embraced being uprooted from their true homes to train at Diaz’s gym, including recent junior middleweight titleholder Israil Madrimov and WBA top-ranked super middleweight contender Bektemir Melikuziev. Unified light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol of Russia is also a confidant and friend since both are managed by Vadim Kornilov.
“All of the support I’ve received from the guys has been there forever,” Akhmadaliev said. “It’s permanent, not just because I’m fighting Inoue in September. Since we’ve shared rooms in the foster school, it’s always been there, receiving love and support. With that, my concentration is on the fight, stepping to the ring and getting that opportunity.”
Akhmadaliev’s boxing skill saw him capture two belts in his eighth fight (versus Daniel Roman) and make three successful defenses. He has won three more fights (all by knockout or TKO) since the Tapales loss.
“He’s a good fighter,” Arum said, “but he’s no ‘Monster.’”
Inoue’s nickname is well-earned, a reflection of his merciless pursuit to finish foes and answer any posed threat with the impressive ferocity that has him ranked atop many pound-for-pound lists.
“I’m very thankful to one of the greatest to ever do it in Bob Arum. For him to know who I am is already a big accomplishment, because last time you asked him about me, he said he didn’t know who I was,” Akhmadaliev said. “As far as monsters, there are no monsters in boxing. I would never call myself one. I don’t think [Inoue] is a monster. We’re all humans, all athletes here to perform.
“Nicknames are cool. I think ‘M.J.’ is a cooler nickname than ‘Monster,’ and the ring will show who’s ‘M.J.,’ who’s ‘Monster,’ who’s the winner and who has Uzbek power. The ring never lies. He’ll tell you what’s going on.”
It’s why Akhmadaliev is going to stay locked in on this singular task at hand while Inoue and his promoters are already eyeing post-victory dates versus Mexico’s Alan David Picasso in Saudi Arabia later this year, versus Japan’s unified bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani in 2026, and perhaps future showdowns against Cardenas and unified junior bantamweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
“That doesn’t bother me at all. It’s business. They have their plans. It made sense for them to make their plan, but we’ve seen what can happen when the plans don’t play out,” Akhmadaliev said.
“My plan is to beat Inoue. They may be thinking about beating others, Picasso and those guys. We’ll see what God’s plan is on the night of September 14. That’s when we’ll talk.”
