RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue outpointed Alan David Picasso on Saturday to set up a potential pound-for-pound super fight with Junto Nakatani.
Three-weight world champion Nakatani also beat Sebastian Hernandez Reyes on points on the card in Saudi Arabia after making his debut in the division.
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Japan's Junto Nakatani celebrates after beating Sebastian Hernandez Reyes of Mexico during a super-bantamweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Junto Nakatani, right, fights Sebastian Hernandez Reyes of Mexico during a super-bantamweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Naoya Inoue, left, fights Alan Picasso of Mexico during a boxing match for the unified WBC IBF WBO WBA super bantamweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Naoya Inoue celebrates after beating Alan Picasso of Mexico during a boxing match for the unified WBC IBF WBO WBA super bantamweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Naoya Inoue, left, punches Alan Picasso of Mexico during a boxing match for the unified WBC IBF WBO WBA super bantamweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
The two victories set up a much-anticipated clash in 2026 that would be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history.
“Both of us had a very good win tonight,” Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) told DAZN. “We will have to wait and see. But for the Japanese fans, you can expect something very good.”
Fighting on the “Night of the Samurai” card in Riyadh, the 32-year-old Inoue won by unanimous decision against Mexican Picasso 120-108, 119-109, 117-111.
It was a dominant performance from the four-division champion dubbed the “Monster”, who is strengthening his claim to the title of the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Inoue was congratulated in the ring afterward by undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The 27-year-old Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) also enhanced his reputation after vacating his two belts at bantamweight to move from 118 lbs to 122 lbs.
He overcame another Mexican in Hernandez Reyes 115-113, 115-113 and 118-110.
Inoue also suggested a possible fight with super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez “if he can fight at super bantamweight.”
Japan's Junto Nakatani celebrates after beating Sebastian Hernandez Reyes of Mexico during a super-bantamweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Junto Nakatani, right, fights Sebastian Hernandez Reyes of Mexico during a super-bantamweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Naoya Inoue, left, fights Alan Picasso of Mexico during a boxing match for the unified WBC IBF WBO WBA super bantamweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Naoya Inoue celebrates after beating Alan Picasso of Mexico during a boxing match for the unified WBC IBF WBO WBA super bantamweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
Japan's Naoya Inoue, left, punches Alan Picasso of Mexico during a boxing match for the unified WBC IBF WBO WBA super bantamweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
