[ad_1]
Naoya Inoue can’t be denied any longer.
In the wake of Canelo Alvarez’s loss to Dmitry Bivol, and now, Inoue’s second-round TKO of future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan, there’s little doubt in my opinion that “Monster” is the now the pound-for-pound king.
While the Japanese star sliced his way through three weight divisions, he received little resistance until he met Donaire in ESPN’s 2019 fight of the year. Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs) won that first clash wide on two scorecards, but suffered a broken nose and a fractured right orbital, the product of Donaire’s heavy punches. Thirty-one months later, Donaire was no match.
The 29-year-old added a third bantamweight title with two knockdowns of Donaire, the last of which prompted the referee to stop the fight. Donaire, 39, was ESPN’s No. 2 boxer at 118 pounds, and there’s plenty of separation between him and the third spot (John Riel Casimero).
But at this point, there’s nothing left for Inoue to prove at 118 pounds — just as there wasn’t after he captured titles at 108 pounds and 115.
Inoue said that he “would love to stay in this division” if he can accomplish his goal of becoming undisputed champion this year (Paul Butler has the WBO belt). “But if I can’t,” Inoue said in translated remarks, “I’m capable of raising my division.”
It appears to be a fait accompli Inoue will soon seek to conquer the junior featherweight division, where he figures to face his stiffest competition yet. After all, great boxers like Inoue usually aren’t tested until they continue to move up in weight. Canelo Alvarez is a prime example of this.
The 112-pound division features better talent than Inoue has ever encountered, namely in the form of Stephen Fulton and Murodjon Akhmadaliev. Both the Philadelphian and the Uzbek are unified champions at 122 pounds.
It’s possible Fulton and Akhmadaliev will meet later this year for the…
[ad_2]
Source : espn
