Inside $1 billion Tokyo Dome where Mike Tyson fell and Naoya Inoue faces Junto Nakatani in megafight

Naoya Inoue returns to the Tokyo Dome on May 2 for a Japanese super fight against Junto Nakatani.

Undisputed super bantamweight king Inoue is credited with bringing boxing back to the iconic venue in the heart of Bunkyo, Tokyo.

Getty

And ‘The Monster’ has vowed to put on another show for his return, with a WBC bantamweight title fight featuring his younger Takuma Inoue and Kazuto Ioka also on the card.

No place like Dome

Inoue was shockingly knocked down for the first time in his career at Tokyo’s ‘Big Egg’ in May 2024, but recovered masterfully to defeat Luis Nery and go 27-0.

Inoue’s fight against Nery was the first boxing match to be staged in the Tokyo Dome in 34 years.

The Dome, with a 55,000 capacity, hadn’t witnessed two pugilists trade leather since Mike Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas in 1990 — an upset well-remembered as the shock of the century.

This May, boxing returns to Japan’s technological pioneer as a young and hungry Nakatani seeks to cause another upset and conquer Inoue, with one man’s 32-0 record soon set to include a one.

Promoter Hideyuki Ohashi has already claimed that the show is a complete sell-out, with fans eager to witness firsthand a fight almost written in the stars to produce something magical.

More than a stadium

Completed in March 1988—three years after construction began—undisputed heavyweight champion at the time Tyson was first to perform inside Japan’s first covered stadium.

Tokyo Dome

Physical specs

• Size: 46,755m²
• Volume: Approx 1.24million m³
• Floors: Two basement, six above ground
• Height: 56m

Tyson made light work of Tony Tubbs, who later labelled ‘Iron Mike’ the best puncher he ever faced, stopping his fellow American in two rounds with a vicious uppercut followed by a left hook.

“It feels like I left home [and] went to another planet,” Tyson said of Tokyo at the time.

The Monday night fight was part of a monumental week-long event in Tokyo.

AP PHOTO/Tsugufumi Matsumoto

Getty

In the next two days, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger started his first solo tour with three sold-out performances in the Dome.

“We believe the Tokyo Dome is the most advanced type among similar stadiums around the world as it has many features different from others already in use,” a spokesperson for Takenaka construction company said in 1988 of the stadium they built, via UPI.

Cultural Significance

During the same week as Tyson’s win and Jagger’s sellout, the Yomiuri Giants, widely recognised as the New York Yankees of Japan, moved into the Dome.

The Giants have called it home ever since, dominating the baseball scene in Japan while claiming 39 Central League pennants as the most successful team in the country.

In the years to come, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) hosted the first professional wrestling event at the venue.

Meanwhile, music royalty, including Madonna, Michael Jackson and Guns N’ Roses, all performed sold-out concerts.

Getty

Getty

With interest in American football growing at the time, the American Bowl Series was expanded to Japan in 1989, following its inaugural three preseason games at Wembley Stadium, London.

The Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the first game at the Dome, and the series returned to Tokyo for a record 12th and final time in August 2005 as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Indianapolis Colts.

Queen, alongside Adam Lambert, later performed at the Dome in February 2024 as part of their Japan tour.

Guitarist Brian May said the venue was ‘legendary’ and ‘stupendous’ and later described how he was left flabbergasted by the air-supported roof.

“So if you’re inside it, you are literally under pressure,” May wrote in his blog.

“About an extra half an atmosphere, I think, like diving to about 15 feet underwater. But you don’t notice it. It feels good – almost like being outside on a warm day.”

Boxing schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s  boxing schedule.

According to engineering firm Nikken, the Dome uses an air-membrane structure reinforced with cables.

It also receives sunlight because the bulbous roof, hence the ‘Bigg Egg nickname, is slanted at a particular angle from inside to out.

A $1bn acquisition

Reaping the rewards of baseball games and major concert events, a deal to acquire the centrepiece of entertainment complex Tokyo Dome City was completed five years ago.

In January 2021, Japanese property developer Mitsui Fudosan officially obtained the Dome for roughly 120 billion yen ($1.2bn).

Fudosan gained an 85 per cent stake in Tokyo Dome Corporation and Tokyo Dome was subsequently delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, per MarketScreener.

Getty

Getty

Since the acquisition, radical changes were made to the venue, including a new gigantic LED screen and VIP seating upgrades, and it remains one of Japan’s sporting crown jewels.

After Inoue’s historic return in 2024, boxing is now back at the Tokyo Dome, with Nakatani ready to go all guns blazing and make history.

“It’s one thing to respect the fighter, but when the bell rings, we’re going to go in there and try to knock his head off,” Nakatani’s trainer Rudy Hernandez told BoxingScene.

“We can’t settle for anything less than winning. Winning, to us, means everything.”