“There are only a few monsters who warrant the worry that we’ve of them.” -French creator André Gide.
Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KO) stands at 5 ft, 5 inches tall and weighs 122 pounds- although his nickname “The Monster” provides away the ferocity of his punching energy. Inoue is the highest pound-for-pound boxer on this planet within the eyes of many observers and is the golden goose of the decrease weight courses.
Earlier this week, Inoue defeated TJ Doheny by way of technical knockout within the seventh spherical in Tokyo, Japan, when Doheny couldn’t proceed after taking a physique shot. The battle lasted longer than many speculated, however Inoue confirmed off some improved defensive expertise in opposition to the artful veteran Doheny.
Inoue defended his undisputed tremendous bantamweight championship; he’s the one undisputed 122-pound champion within the historical past of boxing. He’s additionally the primary Japanese boxer to be rated #1 pound-for-pound by Ring Journal (first printed in 1922). How did Naoya Inoue develop into essentially the most feared boxer on this planet?
Inoue had a powerful newbie document of 75-6 (48 KO), and his first skilled battle was on October 2nd, 2012. It didn’t take lengthy for Inoue to achieve the top of boxing. At age twenty, Inoue grew to become the sunshine flyweight (108-pound restrict) champion in his sixth professional battle in April 2014. Later that 12 months, Inoue moved to the 112-pound weight class to problem Omar Narváez for his junior bantamweight title. Narváez had been champion for fourteen years and had efficiently defended his title twenty-seven occasions. Inoue knocked Narváez down twice within the first sixty-one seconds of the battle and ended it inside two rounds. With the win, Inoue grew to become a two-division champion eight fights into his profession.
Inoue defeated Corridor of Famer Nonito Donaire by choice in 2019’s Struggle of the 12 months, regardless of struggling a fractured orbital bone within the second spherical plus a damaged nostril. For good measure, he received a 2022 rematch with Donaire by knockout in two rounds.
After defeating Donaire for the second time, Inoue knocked out Paul Butler within the eleventh spherical to develop into the undisputed bantamweight champion. The Monster grew to become the primary man to unify all of the 118-pound titles since Enrique Pinder in 1972.
In opposition to Luis Nery, in his final battle earlier than defeating Doheny, Inoue suffered his first profession knockdown within the first spherical. Nonetheless, he did knock Nery down thrice en path to a sixth-round victory.
For viewers in the US, Inoue and Doheny heard the bell ring to begin spherical one at 7:34 A.M. Japanese Time. Inoue has fought outdoors of Japan simply 4 occasions in his skilled profession. In September 2017, he defended his tremendous flyweight championship in opposition to Antonio Nieves in Carson, California. Then, in Could 2019, for a semifinal matchup within the World Boxing Tremendous Collection Bantamweight Event, Inoue traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, and knocked out Emmanuel Rodriguez in two rounds during which Inoue additionally captured the Ring Journal World Bantamweight Title.
After signing with High Rank Promotions, Inoue fought two consecutive occasions in Las Vegas. He knocked out Jason Molony in October 2020 and Michael Dasmarinas in June 2021. These two fights lacked the normal Vegas ambiance since they passed off throughout the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Inoue has reached some extent the place he doesn’t have to battle outdoors Japan. There is no such thing as a monetary incentive with the battle purses and income from the stay gates in Japan. And because the acknowledged greatest pound-for-pound fighter on this planet, any high challenger will come to Japan.
Nonetheless, after Inoue defeated Doheny, Bob Arum stated Inoue would have a conventional end-of-the-year battle in Japan earlier than preventing in the US in 2025. Inoue has indicated that he want to have a number of extra fights at super-bantamweight earlier than a possible transfer as much as the 126-pound weight restrict of the light-weight division. That will give The Monster time to acclimate to being at 122 kilos. Provided that Inoue grew to become the undisputed champion at 122 kilos simply 377 days after unifying the 118-pound division, it’s comprehensible. The Monster remains to be human, in spite of everything.
There was some on-line chatter about Naoya Inoue probably dealing with light-weight champion Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KO). Each males stand at 5 ft, 5 inches tall, and have knockout energy. However for Inoue, who began within the 108-pound weight division, to return up from tremendous bantamweight to light-weight is insane. Asking Inoue to maneuver from the tremendous bantamweight division, over featherweight, over junior light-weight, and as much as the 135-pound weight class to battle a person as harmful as Gervonta Davis solely is smart in a online game. Some followers have referred to Gervonta Davis as a weight bully; if Inoue-Davis ever takes place, Gervonta would develop into a weight authoritarian.
A battle with bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KO) may very well be on the horizon for Inoue. Inoue vs. Nakatani would pit the 2 greatest boxers in Japan in opposition to one another. A battle within the Tokyo Dome may see not less than 50,000 spectators and can be a large occasion.
If Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KO), present junior bantamweight (115-pound) division champion, and Naoya Inoue confronted one another, it could be an unbelievable battle. Rodriguez and Inoue are two old-school fighters who care about their legacies and what boxing followers wish to see quite than cherry-picking protected opponents. An Inoue-Rodriguez battle at a 118 or 118.5-pound catchweight can be a barnburner, the largest battle doable on the decrease weight courses.
What comes subsequent for “The Monster” Naoya Inoue stays to be seen. We will solely hope Inoue faces high opponents as he continues to dominate the lower-weight courses. Boxing followers will hope to get a glimpse of The Monster in the US.
Monsters should not actual, however sadly, for boxers campaigning on the decrease weight courses, Nayoa Inoue very a lot is.
