Naoya Inoue suffers first knockdown of his career – then delivers knockout victory
Naoya Inoue is a well-known boxer among those who follow the sport, but his incredible accomplishments as a fighter, nicknamed 'The Monster', are not widely recognized in the broader sports world. However, many would argue that this 31-year-old Japanese boxer is currently the greatest and most powerful practitioner of the sport anywhere on earth.
On Monday, Inoue showed off his impressive skills in the boxing ring by executing precise moves with great power and agility. He amazed the 55,000 spectators at the Tokyo Dome with his footwork and incredible punches and won the match by knocking out his opponent, Luis Nery, in the sixth round. Although there is no official ranking system for boxers, some fans like to debate who the best fighters are, and Inoue is now considered by many to be at the top of the pound-for-pound list. Interestingly, the same arena where the fight took place is where Mike Tyson suffered a surprising defeat to a little-known boxer named Buster Douglas in 1990.
Back in the day, the notorious ‘Iron Mike’ suffered a loss against his rival Douglas. However, this did not affect the thoughts of the current ‘Monster’ of boxing - Kaibutsu - as he is called in his home country. Inoue is an incredible talent, having never lost a match in 14 years, and has secured world titles in four different weight classes ranging from 108lbs to 122lbs. In Japan, Inoue is a true superstar and a name recognized by every household.
Bob Arum, the leader of Top Rank Inc. and a promoter for almost six decades, recently praised the incredible skills of Inoue, a fighter who stands at just 5 feet and 5 inches tall. Arum called Inoue the best fighter he has ever seen after watching him take down Nery, a southpaw who had only lost one of his 36 professional matches and was a much larger opponent. This is high praise coming from Arum, who has worked with some of the greatest fighters of all time, including Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao, and Tyson Fury.
Inoue's style and substance are undeniably unique and impressive, and he displays great humility. However, he did show off a bit in the end of the fight with his Mexican opponent.
Why is Inoue nicknamed "The Monster"? It's pretty simple. When Inoue participates in world title fights, he has a 90% success rate in knocking out his opponents. He has been fighting in these types of fights for a decade and is now considered to be among the best fighters in the world, alongside Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, and Canelo Alvarez, among others who have mastered the sport with their skills and boxing intelligence. In fact, only Inoue and Crawford have been crowned undisputed champions in two weight divisions during the era of four world title belts per weight class. If Usyk can defeat Tyson Fury in just under two weeks in Riyadh to win all the heavyweight belts, he will join this exclusive club of male prizefighters who have accomplished the two-weight accolade.
The fight between Inoue and Nery was intense and exciting. Inoue was knocked down by a left hook from Nery in the first round, which was a dramatic moment. This wake-up call actually helped Inoue to concentrate even more and bring out his best fighting skills. Initially, Inoue seemed careless and was just trying to land heavy punches with aggression. But after the knockdown, he focused on tightening up his defenses, and used his footwork, counter-punching abilities, and a combination of jabs, body shots, and power punches to win the fight. It was an impressive finish.
In the second part of the fight, Inoue showed his talent by taking down the Mexican with a quick left punch. In the fifth round, he once again landed a left hook that caused Nery to fall to the ground. The ultimate defeat came in the sixth round when Nery's energy levels were low and helpless, with Inoue using a powerful right punch to send him into the ropes and onto the floor. This victory acknowledged Inoue for defending the super bantamweight titles he acquired in December for the second time.
As he spoke to the crowd after the fight, they erupted in cheers for him. The reason why Inoue is not as well-known may be due to the fact that he has fought mostly in Japan, except for one previous fight in the UK where he knocked out Emmanuel Rodriguez in just two rounds at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow five years ago, and two other fights in Las Vegas.
Throughout his career, Inoue has competed in 27 fights across four different weight divisions. Out of those 27 fights, 24 have ended in a finish. Inoue's father, Shingo Inoue, is both his trainer and a past amateur boxer, and has been present for all of these exhilarating matches. To add to the magic of Inoue's story, he is married to his childhood sweetheart and they have three children together. Inoue is a big fan of Disney Parks, and his favourite movie is Aladdin.
The extremely talented boxer crept closer to his future as a highly respected and accomplished athlete, with a high chance of being inducted into boxing's prestigious Hall of Fame.
