The Options Awaiting The Monster, Naoya Inoue

Posted on 06/21/2021

By: Kirk Jackson

After one other profitable protection of his WBA bantamweight world title this previous weekend, Naoya “The Monster” Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs), improved his unblemished report and continues to forge his path in the direction of greatness.

The pound-for-pound elite Inoue, swiftly and violently stopped Filipino challenger Michael “Sizzling and Spicy” Dasmarinas (30-3-1, 20 KOs), with a sequence of deadly physique photographs.

“The primary spherical, I simply needed to see what he had. It relied on how he got here out, and after a short while, yeah, I assumed I may get him out,” Inoue mentioned throughout his post-fight interview.

“In opposition to the primary ranked fighter, Dasmarinas, I believe I had an ideal win. I put together myself to knock them out, whether or not with a head shot or a physique shot. I got here ready and to get a win by knockout is sweet for me.”

A watch-pleasing efficiency for spectators, albeit temporary. Prime Rank promoter Bob Arum, who was in attendance, was additionally impressed by Inoue’s displaying.

Arum added, “Naoya Inoue is a novel power of nature inside that ring. One other unimaginable efficiency from ‘The Monster.’ We’re seeing an ideal fighter at work right here, and he’s solely going to get higher.”

With performances like this, it could be hard-pressed to entice a big pool of challengers to take a shot on the reigning WBA/IBF/Ring bantamweight champ, oddly sufficient.

Generally, a fighter could show a sure measure of violent tenacity, discouraging even to different top-level contemporaries. Fighters of that classification, who instantly come to thoughts, are guys similar to Sonny Liston, Jack Dempsey, Mike Tyson, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran.

Moreover, there are fighters possessing nice technical prowess; to the purpose, they completely outclass and embarrass opponents, even discouraging potential suitors from taking the problem.

Fighters who come to thoughts are Guillermo Rigondeaux, Floyd Mayweather (earlier than he turned the money cow), Erislandy Lara and Gary Russell Jr.

On this fashionable period of alphabet title belts, it’s simpler to keep away from the pathway of explicit champions, whereas nonetheless attaining nice success. Sure, ducking nonetheless exists.

Which beckons the query, with this present unimaginable run from Inoue, will this improve the notion, or precise actuality, of fighters aiming to keep away from “The Monster’s” wrath? There have been claims prior to now from Inoue’s group, the difficulties of securing bouts – even because the reigning WBO junior-bantamweight champion.

Happily, for boxing followers, there are different fighters with the need to not solely problem however defeat Inoue. Beginning with a kind of fighters who occurred to be in attendance for Inoue’s struggle, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs).

Donaire, the just lately topped WBC bantamweight champion, continues to elude the in poor health results of outdated age, defy the chances and already has historical past with Inoue.

Their first encounter was a battle for the ages. It was voted the Ring journal Battle of the 12 months for 2019. The end result of talent, grit and competitiveness on the highest stage, with the entire stakes on the road, battling for IBF, WBA, Ring Journal bantamweight world titles, the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy (World Sequence of Boxing) and bantamweight supremacy.

Inoue battled adversity, overcoming a lower suffered early within the bout and outdueled the savvy veteran in a struggle deemed as an on the spot basic.

One other potential would-be challenger to Inoue, additionally in attendance to witness his most up-to-date efficiency, was three division world champion, John Riel “Quadro Alas” Casimero (30-4, 21KOs).

“It was an ideal efficiency by Naoya Inoue,” Casimero informed ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna after the struggle. “Michael Dasmarinas fought scared and confirmed an excessive amount of respect. However it was nice seeing Naoya Inoue stay.”

Casimero was beforehand scheduled to face Inoue final April, in a bantamweight title unification conflict at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. These plans had been canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the 2 in the end going their separate methods.

“Quadro Alas” appeared final September, destroying beforehand unbeaten, Duke Micah within three rounds final September on Showtime Pay-Per-View. He’ll subsequent face four-division world champion and present WBC bantamweight titlist Donaire, in a title unification conflict scheduled for August 14 on Showtime.

Donaire, for his half, is stepping in for Guillermo Rigondeaux (20-1, 13 KO), who was faraway from the matchup.

The winner of Casimero-Donaire, in all chance, is the subsequent possibility for Inoue, with all three events expressing an curiosity in pursuing the undisputed championship for his or her weight class. However for enjoyable, we’ll discover different suitors, in search of “The Monster.”

Talking of Rigondeaux, he talked about his want to go “Monster Searching” awhile again and deemed Inoue “a superb fighter, an ideal fighter, a warrior.”

Even when he’s plagued with one other lengthy spell of inactivity, the longer term Corridor-of-Famer continues to be a harmful fighter and his fashion may current issues for Inoue. Contemplating how Rigondeaux was faraway from a title bout by way of his personal promotional firm, undecided what the possibilities are of an opposing promotional firm reaching out and manifesting a struggle between the 2.

At the very least, there may be considerably of a transparent path at bantamweight for Inoue. As talked about earlier, he ravaged by way of junior-bantamweight, then skilled problem luring the opposite champions in an effort to unify. We missed alternatives to see Inoue in opposition to the likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez, Carlos Cuadras, or Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

After the mud settles with Inoue’s unification try at bantamweight, as there isn’t a transparent timetable for its conclusion, better challenges await Inoue in a deeper weight class at tremendous bantamweight.

Arguably from high to backside, tremendous bantamweight is the deepest in boxing. One of many premier fighters of the division already has his eyes set on “The Monster.”

The WBO tremendous bantamweight champion Stephen “Cool Boy Steph” Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs), has a bout with WBC and WBA champion Brandon Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs) on Sept. 11 in a 122-pound unification match on Showtime. The unified winner, whether or not it’s Figueroa or Fulton, would on the very least have the world titles and acclaim to lure Inoue.

The 26-year-old Fulton has a powerful conviction on the harm he’ll inflict on Inoue. The Philadelphia-bred product is without doubt one of the greatest younger fighters within the sport and alluded to his expertise and dimension as figuring out elements en path to his predicted victory. That’s, if the struggle had been to ever materialize.

“I see me wiping him out clear! Inoue is simply too small for me, he’s too quick, his attain isn’t there, I’m not going to sit down there for these energy photographs on a regular basis,” Fulton mentioned of Inoue.

“He’s good, however he’s not higher than me. I imagine what occurred to Nery (when Figueroa knocked him out final month) will occur to him.”