Inoue vs Picasso: Clean Weigh-In, Heavy Price Tag?

The weigh‑in said everything before anyone opened their mouth. No tension. No stare that lasted a second too long. No moment where someone might step over the line and make it messy. Just Inoue at 121.5. Picasso at 121.1. Clean. Controlled. Polite.

That’s fine for a free show on a quiet Saturday. It’s not fine for a seventy‑dollar night.

This was meant to feel like a moment. Instead it felt like paperwork. The kind of weigh‑in that ends before you’ve even finished watching. No pressure in the room. No heat in the eyes. Just functioning professionalism.

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When Calm Becomes a Problem

Boxing doesn’t live on order. It lives on the idea that something could go wrong. That’s the hook. The risk. The reason people pay instead of waiting for YouTube or X clips.

This week had none of it. Inoue looked composed to the edge of emotionless. Picasso looked ready, not dangerous. Everything was efficient, professional, safe. It felt like two men clocking in, not two men trying to take something from each other.

No friction. No pulse. No glimpse that it could turn ugly fast. And when that’s missing, the price tag feels heavier. Not because the fight won’t be sharp  but because sharp doesn’t sell. Threat does.

The problem isn’t that they’re too good. It’s that nothing around them screams risk.

Now, me? I’ll pay it. I love this stuff, the rhythm, patience, tiny risk management. I see art where most see nothing. For real boxing heads, this card’s worth every cent.

But casuals? They need chaos. They want shoves, curses, veins popping, faces red. They need the noise that says something might crack. Without that, calm reads as safe. And safe never sells.

This wasn’t a bad weigh‑in. The presser wasn’t bad either.
It was worse. Uneventful.

Calm doesn’t sell. DAZN should think about this for future cards.

RING V Details

Weights: Naoya Inoue 121.5 vs Alan David Picasso 121.1
Junto Nakatani 121.6 vs Sebastian Hernandez Reyes 120.
Willibaldo Garcia Perez 113.9 vs Kenshiro Teraji 114.5
Taiga Imanaga 134.6 vs Eridson Garcia 134.5
Reito Tsutsumi 129.7 vs Leobardo Quintana 129.5

Update: Willibaldo Garcia’s IBF world super flyweight title fight against Kenshiro Teraji has been cancelled. Garcia fell ill following today’s ceremonial weigh-in and was subsequently admitted to hospital. After medical evaluation, Garcia has been declared unfit to fight by the local boxing commission.

Date: Saturday, December 27, 2025
Start time: 6 PM ET / 11 PM UK
Streaming platform: Live on DAZN
Bundle: DAZN Ultimate Tier — about $44.99 monthly, includes most PPVs
Venue: Mohammed Abdu Arena, Boulevard City, Riyadh
Single PPV Price: £19.99 (UK) / $69.99 (U.S. & Canada)