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Naoya Inoue is defenseless, but still unbeatable

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For a brief moment – ​​even a fraction of a time – Naoya Inoue seemed human.

When the Japanese star landed a left hook in the first round of Monday’s undisputed junior featherweight championship fight at the Tokyo Dome, Inoue lowered his right hand. Luis Nery used a piercing counterattack with a left hook that spun “The Monster” and knocked him to the ground, a first in his 27-fight professional career.

Inoue, 31, a four-division champion, landed on all fours and quickly recovered as he listened to the referee’s count from one knee. He seemed astonished, as did the more than 44,000 fans on site. After all, Inoue has rarely shown even an ounce of weakness during his incredible run.

The last boxing gala took place at the Tokyo Dome 34 years ago, when probably the greatest event in the history of sports took place: James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson and became the undisputed heavyweight champion. Tyson was a 42-1 favorite and Inoue was a 16-1 favorite.

Inoue Ranked No. 2 by ESPN, Inoue narrowly lost a round among the pros. The last time he truly faced adversity in the ring was in November 2019, when he fought future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire from a broken nose and damaged eye socket.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KO) defeated Donaire in the 11th round and the “Filipino Flash” was in sedate trouble, but he managed to make it to the final bell. Inoue settled for the decision to win ESPN’s 2019 Fight of the Year. Four bouts later, in June 2022, Inoue easily defeated Donaire via second-round TKO.

On Monday, Inoue again quickly corrected his mistake. After the knockdown, the 31-year-old tightened his guard and began to time Nery, landing in between his powerful shots.

In Round 2, Inoue turned the tables with a left hook of his own that eliminated Mexican Nery. Nery, 29, got up before the count of 10, but went down twice more in the 122-pound title fight.

Inoue got Nery back on the board with another fierce left hook in round 5. In the next round, Inoue finished things off with a right hand that sent Nery (35-2, 27 KO) through the ropes, with his head resting on the bottom rope as the referee waved hand, asking for victory by KO in the sixth round.

“How did you like that gigantic surprise in the first round?” Inoue asked the crowd in Japanese. “…This event gave me motivation and I was very focused until the end of the fight.”

It showed. Inoue defeated Nery 107-54 and was barely touched after being knocked down in the first round. Despite a sporadic momentary loss of concentration, Inoue proved that he was still undefeated; still one of the two best fighters in the world, regardless of weight, and still one of the best fighters of all time.

This fight meant a little more to boxing-mad Japan. Nery became something of a villain there after several indiscretions involving fights with fellow Japanese star Shinsuke Yamanaka.

Nery traveled to Japan in August 2017 and dethroned Yamanaka via fourth-round TKO. Yamanaka had held the WBC bantamweight title since November 2011 and had made 12 successful defenses.

Nery was then suspended when zilpaterol, a performance-enhancing drug, was found in his system. Nery scored a second-round stoppage in the March 2018 rematch, but once again the fight was lopsided. This time Nery was three pounds overweight at 121 pounds. Yamanaka never competed again.

These violations led to an indefinite suspension from the Japan Boxing Commission, but the ban was lifted earlier this year to allow Nery to continue fighting, and Inoue complied, punishing the title challenger.

“I know there are a lot of tough feelings among Japanese boxing fans because of his fights in the past, but I personally appreciate Nery,” Inoue said. “That’s why I shook his hand after the fight.”

Inoue then shook hands with another boxer, Australian Sam Goodman. He could be next for Inoue if not Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev. There is a rotation system to determine which mandatory challenger will be next to fight the unified boxing champions.

Goodman is the top 122-pound fighter in the WBO and IBF, and Akhmadaliev is the No. 1 contender in the WBA.

“I look forward to negotiating a fight with Sam Goodman in September,” Inoue said.

“I’ve been mandatory for over a year, either give up your belts or fight me,” Goodman replied. – Let’s deal with this.

No matter the order, Goodman (18-0, 8 KO), ESPN’s No. 7 junior featherweight, and Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KO), ESPN’s No. 4, appear to have another shot at solving the Inoue mystery.

Next, Inoue will likely move up to the 126-pound weight class, where he will look to conquer a fifth weight class. Perhaps then Inoue will meet a warrior who will truly test the limits of his greatness. For now, it is unrivaled. Enjoy it while it’s here.

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Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.

This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.

In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.

“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.

“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.

Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.

Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.

Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.

In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.

It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.

Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.

Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.

As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.

However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.

Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.

Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.

Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.

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