Boxing
Will Naoya Inoue move to featherweight after her next fight?
NAOYA Inoue is expected to cut through TJ Doheny like a sizzling knife through butter on September 3 in Japan.
For many, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Inoue’s aura of invincibility seems to grow with each fight. “The Monster” seems so dominant over every opponent that betting against the Japanese superstar is like throwing money down the drain.
His status is reminiscent of Mike Tyson at his peak, when it seemed no one could beat Inoue and a devastating knockout in every fight was a formality.
But unlike Tyson, Inoue is a much smaller man, and in order to continue to build his legacy, he is cursed with a path of constantly climbing weight classes in search of more worthy opposition. The world title belts he has won in four divisions symbolize the scalps he has won, like an old warrior carrying the heads of his enemies.
When Inoue first decided to move up to super bantamweight, some in the boxing world had reservations. Here was a five-foot-five man who had started out as a lightweight, now deciding to challenge fighters who were naturally bigger than him.
But it took Stephen Fulton just eight rounds to realize that size wasn’t everything. Inoue crushed the American and became the unified super bantamweight champion of the world.
Inoue lands a right hand on Fulton (Naoki Fukuda)
Since then, the Kanagawa native has become the first boxer to undisputedly dominate the 122-pound division, knocking out Marlon Tapales and Luis Nery.
The first time Inoue was knocked down was after taking a powerful left hook from Nery in the first round – a moment that made “The Monster” more human. But Inoue’s response was demonic. He got up and knocked Nery down three times in six rounds to emerge victorious. It was almost as if Inoue felt ashamed and punished Nery for knocking him down.
Indeed, so far, Inoue’s brilliance has not been dampened by the move up in weight. At times, a fighter can be a puncher in a particular division, but his power fades when he faces opponents who are bigger than him.
With 24 of his 27 wins coming by knockout, Inoue’s power has not only carried over to the super bantamweight division, but has likely increased. Plus, when you’re as technically flawless as Inoue, the chances of landing neat, exact punches remain, regardless of weight.
Bookmakers have Inoue as a huge favorite over Doheny. When James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Tyson in 1990 to become world heavyweight champion, the boxing world was in disbelief. Inoue is not heralded as “the baddest man on the planet.” But a Doheny victory seems equally incomprehensible, despite the Irishman having three straight knockout wins.
Ironically, when Tyson suffered the biggest upset of his career, it came in Japan. But Inoue has boxed in his home country for his entire career, and the Japanese superstar appears to be more disciplined than Tyson outside the ring.
Regardless, if Inoue does what everyone expects him to do, there will be massive speculation about what comes next. People are already talking about a fantasy fight with Gervonta Davis, and if “Monster” looks particularly spectacular, the calls for such an unrealistic but electrifying prospect could get louder. Both are listed at the same level, but Davis currently fights at lightweight, three weight classes higher than Inoue.
In addition, before Inoue leaves the super-bantamweight division, there are a few opponents who could earn a chance to fight the phenomenon. One of them is Sam Goodman, a former opponent of Doheny. Goodman, 25, decisively defeated Doheny last year and is undefeated in 19 fights. It is debatable whether Goodman could pose a stern threat to Inoue, but on paper the Australian is a credible opponent.
Another potential contender is Murodjon Akhmadaliev. The Uzbek lost a split decision to Tapales. Still, Akhmadaliev is left-handed, mighty and widely considered one of the best boxers at 122 pounds.
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Then there’s Briton Liam Davies, who has been getting stronger in recent outings, racking up three straight knockout wins. The 28-year-old has also been very vocal about wanting to share the ring with Inoue. Inoue fought Emmanuel Rodriguez in Glasgow in 2019, and a return to the UK, while unlikely, would be a star-studded event.
At just 31, Inoue is in his prime and has time to think about how to best maximize his legacy. The knockout machine is already a future Hall of Famer. But with the right fights, he could go down as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Winning a five-weight world title would assist him achieve that goal, joining the likes of Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquaio.
Still, the jump from super bantamweight to featherweight is significant. Theoretically, there’s a four-pound difference, although you only have to look at Rey Vargas and Brandon Figueroa to see how much bigger some of the guys are at 126 pounds. It’s likely that Inoue will take his time and let his body grow before making the jump.
It could all depend on Inoue’s tenure at super bantamweight. If the fights get tougher, 122 pounds could be his maximum limit. On the other hand, if he continues to easily dispatch opponents, a shot at a featherweight world title could be in the near future.
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