FinalizeTurki Alalshikh tells The Ring that his team is “close to finalizing” a December 27th showdown between undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue and WBC mandatory challenger Alan Picasso, which would headline a card themed around Japanese fighters facing Mexican/Mexican-American foes.

There are obviously still a few hurdles left to clear. Inoue (30-0, 27 KO) is gearing up to face the very capable Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September, while Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KO) faces the limited-but-dangerous Kyonosuke Kameda on next month’s Pacquiao vs Barrios undercard. It’s also unclear what’s changed for Picasso since he bailed on an Inoue fight earlier this year; Kameda will be his lone foe of 2025 to date. If he wasn’t ready than, he’s not going to be ready in six months.

In the meantime, let’s speculate on those other Japan vs Mexico showdowns. Junto Nakatani vs Ramon Cardenas? Kenshiro Teraji vs “Bam” Rodriguez? Tenshin Nasukawa vs Jose Salas Reyes?