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What comes next for Naoya Inoue?

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs), one of the very best in the world, had to rise from the canvas against Luis Nery (35-2, 27 KOs) to secure an emphatic sixth-round victory over his mandatory challenger.

Referee Michael Griffin halted the contest while Nery was on the canvas following a heavy right hand from Inoue.

However, speculation has begun on who the four-weight world champion will face moving forward.

Post-fight, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum discussed the possibility of Inoue facing his IBF mandatory challenger, Sam Goodman, with a date targeted for September or October.

More wild speculation has come from none other than trainer Virgil Hunter, who discussed the prospect of a possible fight between Inoue and Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) on FightHype.

Despite the discrepancies in weight between junior featherweight champion Inoue and lightweight champion Davis, Hunter believes a catchweight contest would not be needed for a hypothetical fight between two of boxing’s most prominent names.

“I don’t think Gervonta [Davis] should go below 135,” Hunter told Fighthype. “I’m sure Inoue walks around at ’40, ’45 – 145. [Inoue would] have to come up just like everybody else. Where is the value of [Davis] coming to a catchweight to fight you? You’re big in Japan, and I’m big in the States. So there should not be any weight concession. ‘If you want to fight, come and fight me.’”

Hunter used the examples of Guillermo Rigondeaux and Jermell Charlo, fighters who stepped up in weight to challenge Vasiliy Lomachenko and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, respectively, in recent years. Ultimately, Hunter thinks the weight difference between Inoue and Davis should not be used as an excuse for the fight not to happen.

“Let’s not make any excuses,” Hunter said. “Rigondeaux fought Lomachenko; there was no catchweight involved. He dared to take that opportunity.”

“[Rigondeaux] came up short, but he dared to take it. Charlo dared to fight Canelo at 168, coming from 154. So it’s only a few pounds north. You’re getting a little older. I’m sure you could carry the weight comfortably. So I wouldn’t make any concessions for that fight.”

Who’s truly the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound? Depends who you talk to.

Terence Crawford, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s list, and No. 2 Inoue are both unbeaten, near-flawless all-around fighters who have dominated almost everyone they’ve faced over an extended period of time.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was at his glorious best in the early morning hours (U.S. time) Monday in Japan.

Luis Nery shocked everyone watching by putting Inoue down in the opening round but that only hardened Inoue’s resolve. The 122-pound champion responded by destroying a good opponent, putting him on the canvas three times and brutally stopping him in Round 6.

Inoue was nothing short of brilliant. It becomes more and more clear that he’s one of the best to ever do it.

And don’t count the knockdown against him when assessing his pound-for-pound credentials. Almost all the great ones have gone down. The important thing is they get up and  demonstrate who’s the better man, as Inoue did in spectacular fashion on Monday.

The question is whether he did enough — or is good enough — to supplant Crawford at No. 1. That answer is no, at least for now.

The resume of Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is roughly equal to that of Inoue. Both of them have faced a long list of top contenders but relatively few pound-for-pound-caliber foes, although Crawford is coming a ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. last July.

And Crawford has been as dominating as Inoue, unleashing an overwhelming combination of skill, speed and power on one opponent after another.

The knockout of Spence, a pound-for-pounder himself, was just as breathtaking as Inoue’s annihilation of Nery at the Tokyo Dome even though Crawford didn’t have to demonstrate that he could overcome adversity.

Crawford has been nothing short of brilliant his entire career, which is why he was Boxing Junkie’s top pound-for-pounder since this feature was initiated in 2019 and hasn’t budged.

How could we justify demoting him under those circumstances? We can’t.

Inoue could reach the top at some point in part because of their respective ages: He’s 31, Crawford 36. That time simply isn’t now.

Another pound-for-pounder was in action on May 4, No. 6 Canelo Alvarez, who defeated Jaime Munguia by a one-sided decision in Las Vegas.

The superstar looked sharp but he was never destined to leap up the list because Munguia was not ranked. However, sitting directly above Alvarez at No. 5 is fellow Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada.

Did Alvarez do enough to swap places with his countryman? That’s a matter of interpretation. We decided to leave Alvarez where he is in good part because Estrada is scheduled to face rising star and No. 10 “Bam” Rodriguez on June 29. Estrada’s fate is in his hands.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 13 Vasiliy Lomachenko is scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia..

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder

    Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.

  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduld.
  15. David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (no fight scheduled).

Gervonta Davis and Naoya Inoue may not meet in the ring anytime soon, but a fierce rivalry for their star power is heating up online. However, believe it or not, everything began with a statement from former professional boxer ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter. The thing is, Porter thinks for ‘Monster’ Inoue to maximize his stardom, he needs to fight an American in America.

What’s more, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe, feels the same way! Reacting to Porter’s statement, Ellerbe wrote on X, “The young man is [definitely] a rock star in Japan, and he’s generating enormous revenue, but outside of the diehards, he’s relatively unknown in the U.S.” This seems to have started a debate among fans about who’s more popular, eventually prompting Ellerbe to settle the debate with a witty response.

Leonard Ellerbe mocks fans with Gervonta Davis’ accomplishments

After Ellerbe’s tweet, a user commented on the tweet, suggesting that, similar to what Ellerbe thinks about Inoue, no one outside of the boxing fan base is aware of Gervonta Davis’ stardom or the things he has achieved. While there is some truth to the user’s statement, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions didn’t feel the same way!

In a tweet responding to the user, Ellerbe wrote, “That’s your opinion but it’s ok. You would know you [have] done countless shows, and I know you have all the metrics to back what you said.” It’s worth mentioning that Davis’ fight against Ryan Garcia still remains one of the biggest spectacles of recent years, raking in $100 million in revenue.

And after knocking out Ryan Garcia, who is big on social media, Davis popularity has skyrocketed. He is also often referred to as the new face of boxing. Meanwhile, Inoue is also extremely popular in Japan and among boxing fans, after all, he is the undisputed champion in Super Bantamweight and Bantamweight divisions . The same is evident from the headlines both fighters make on a daily basis. Nevertheless, after discovering Porter’s statement about him, Inoue responded to the drama!

Naoya Inoue feels Japan is home to lightweight boxing

Inoue has a fight coming up on May 6 at the Tokyo Dome, where Mike Tyson suffered an upset loss at the hands of Buster Douglas. The ‘Monster’ Inoue will face Mexico’s (35-1) Luis Nery in a twelve-round fight for all of Inoue’s four major belts. However, Porter’s statement about him fighting in America didn’t sit well with the Japanese puncher.

Naoya Inoue finished 2023 on a high note. The Japanese fighter made history by becoming the second fighter to emerge undisputed ever since the four-belt era ushered in. Today, he reflects on such a momentous achievement. He generously comments on being compared to the path he followed in making such history.

In December last year, 30-year-old ‘Monster’ defeated Filipino southpaw, Marlon Tapales to become undisputed for the second time. The groundbreaking moment came just a year after he did the same in the bantamweight division by defeating Paul Butler in an 11th-round knockout. He follows the precedent set earlier by Terence Crawford. By defeating Errol Spence Jr. last year, he emerged undisputed 2x by repeating the suit he did in 2017 for knocking out Julius Indongo in the 3rd round. When asked about being second in line for such a historic achievement, Inoue kept it positive.

Naoya Inoue feels the significance of every fight

Daisuke Sugiura, the notable sports journalist and contributor for Ring Magazine gauged Inoue’s thoughts on being compared to ‘Bud.’ The 26-undefeated boxer noted, “Compared to a few years ago, I feel the importance of each fight even more. Terence Crawford is No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings, and I’ve reached a position where I’m compared to fighters like him every time I fight, so I feel the weight and importance of each fight as I go through them.”

After defeating Spence Jr. in July last year, Bud powered through the ranks of his weight class and boxing at large. He was voted pound-for-pound number 1. Ring, the publication that refers to itself as ‘The Bible of Boxing’ also counted the Omaha-based fighter to top their pound-for-pound list. When the boxing community awaited these rankings, a debate ensued. Most were on the fence about who it would be to assume the pound-for-pound #1 position between the two fighters.
Naoya Inoue

However, after Bud’s historic win, three days after Inoue had defeated American Stephen Fulton, it was a sealed deal. In Ring Magazine, its editor-in-chief, Ye Ole, was the only vote to pick the Yokohama-based fighter. Ole explained, “He’s a four-division titleholder and former undisputed champ with just 25 pro bouts. He dominated the No. 1-rated junior featherweight in his FIRST bout in the 122-pound division.”

Another accolade was added to his portfolio recently. Naoya Inoue was awarded the 2023 Fighter of the Year. What does he have to say about that?

Fighter of the Year

How does he reflect on the two fights that got him these accolades? Inoue notes, “I don’t know, but there were more unknowns in my first fight of 2023 against Stephen Fulton because I was moving up to super bantamweight from bantamweight. So, I felt like I accomplished more when I defeated Fulton. For the Tapales fight I went into it with some understanding of how to build a 122-pound body. Ever since I moved up from light flyweight (the 108-pound division), every time I moved up, I fought the first one with some anxiety. I think I felt more satisfied when I defeated Fulton in my first fight in the super bantamweight division.

What if Naoya Inoue was not voted pound-for-pound number 1? He remains on top of the game today. Do you agree with the ratings? Let us know in the comments section below.

Every first or second place choice in the BoxingScene pound-for-pound year-end poll went to one of two people.

It’s the same two people just about everyone else has too. Terence Crawford edged out Naoya Inoue but it’s clearly a two-man race for the moment and 2023 was another example of why. Crawford finally got his generational showdown at welterweight with Errol Spence and destroyed the undefeated Texan for his second undisputed crown. Inoue moved to his fourth weight class, faced consecutive unified titlists, and ended the year with his second undisputed crown as well.

There was movement below them.

Terence Crawford

Saul Alvarez’s performances against John Ryder and Jermell Charlo and Devin Haney’s wins over Vasyl Lomachenko and Regis Prograis saw both move ahead of a Dmitry Bivol who largely lost 2023 with one forgettable encounter. Juan Francisco Estrada, inactive for the entire year, exited the top ten as did Charlo off his listless loss to Alvarez.

Who entered in their place?

Contributing Staff: Manouk Akopyan, Jake Donovan, Keith Idec, Cliff Rold, Hans Themistode

As always, feel free to agree…and disagree.  This list is for entertainment purposes only and based purely on imagination, hypotheticals, and conjecture just like every other pound for pound list ever written.  Neither it nor any other such list made up of such illusory ingredients should be used to forward corporate agendas of any kind.

That doesn’t make it any less fun to argue about.

Last Update: August 06, 2023

While Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue can never duke it out in the ring due to a natural size disparity, the duo are currently locked in a non-contact – but fierce – battle for pound-for-pound supremacy.

Nothing elicits more vitriol in the boxing world than a pound-for-pound debate. When Mayweather was on top, it should have been Pacquiao. When Canelo was the king, it should have been GGG wearing the crown. Everyone has an opinion and those opinions are frequently laced with stubborn sentimentality.

In the case of Crawford and Inoue, it’s as closely run a contest as we’ve seen in the modern era  Let’s compare the respective resumes.

A world champion since March 2014, Crawford is 40-0 (31 KOs) and a three-division titleholder. In July, the Omaha native handed fellow pound-for-pound star Errol Spence Jr. a frightening beating, flooring “The Truth” three times on his way to a ninth-round stoppage. In what was universally considered a 50-50 matchup, “Bud” dominated the welterweight superfight to become a two-weight undisputed champion. He did that in the most eagerly anticipated fight in years.

Terence Crawford

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a four-weight world champ and captured his first title in April 2014. In July, the Japanese superstar dethroned unified super bantamweight titleholder Stephen Fulton via destructive eighth-round stoppage, decking the American twice and handing him his first loss. Five months later, “The Monster” feasted on Marlon Tapales, halting the durable Filipino in 10 to match Crawford as a double undisputed champion. Inoue had only unified the bantamweight championship in December 2022.

Few fighters in boxing come close to matching statistics like these. Crawford and Inoue would have been elite-level players in any era. So who’s the best pound-for-pound? All you can do is give your opinion.

For me, I was more impressed by Crawford’s single performance than I was by Inoue’s double. “Bud” was punch-perfect against an unbeaten, unified world titleholder who held a top-five spot on any pound-for-pound list worth reading.

While Spence’s momentum had been blunted by a near-lethal car accident, he had bounced back to dominate Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas. Those wins were enough to convince many fans and experts that Spence, the naturally bigger man, was too big and strong for Crawford, who began his career as a lightweight.

Of course, the Monday morning quarterbacks are out in force now. To paraphrase:

“Spence should never have been pound-for-pound.”

“Spence was done after crashing his Ferrari.”

Well, unless you were chanting this stuff from the rooftops before the bell rang for the Spence-Crawford fight, then please don’t waste my time. This is Captain Hindsight nonsense, and to undermine Bud’s career-best performance in a bid to bolster Inoue’s standing is pathetic.

If you believe Inoue is pound-for-pound No. 1 solely because of the Japanese fighter’s performances in 2023, then I wouldn’t even argue. The Fulton showing in particular was electrifying and the finish was executed with the efficiency of a hangman. Against Tapales, Inoue was patient and workmanlike in dismantling a unified world titleholder.

I’ve been an Inoue rooter for years and he is my favourite fighter in world boxing. I just believe that Crawford deserves his flowers for dominating a fellow pound-for-pound entrant. Inoue was a favourite over both the fighters he defeated, and if Tapales had beaten him, it would have been a lock for Upset of the Year. That might be disconcerting for some, but it’s true.

The pound-for-pound debate will continue into 2024. Former undisputed cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk has the chance to hit the double when he takes on Tyson Fury for full heavyweight honours on February 17. If the Ukrainian star wins convincingly, then he may overtake both Crawford and Inoue.

Regardless, I’d bet that “The Monster” will hit the top spot again soon. As great as he is, one senses that the best is yet to come.

Four-division world champion Naoya Inoue has responded to calls from fans who want to see a fight Gervonta Davis at some point in the future, despite their three-weight class differential.

Inoue is respected across the boxing community like no other after claiming the undisputed crown at bantamweight last December and since stepping up to super-bantamweight.

He knocked out Paul Butler in round 11 of their undisputed title bout in December last year, before moving up to 122lbs and stopping the poster boy of the division, Stephen Fulton, in round eight of their bout in July to claim the WBC and WBO titles.

Gervonta Davis

The 30-year-old now seeks further success at the weight, taking on fellow unified champion Marlon Tapales next week in what will astonishingly be Inoue’s 21st consecutive world title contest.

While Inoue has had an otherworldly run of world title fights, the name that fans continue to call is that of Davis, due to the explosiveness and aggression in their respective fight styles.

In an interview with Fight Hype, Inoue admitted the obvious difficulties in making such a fight, with Davis currently fighting at lightweight, and Inoue being a former light-flyweight world champion that is pushing himself to the limit at super-bantamweight, before heaping praise on ‘Tank’ Davis.

Inoue takes on Tapales on December 26 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, in a contest that could secure him the 2023 Fighter of the Year award and is available to watch live on Sky Sports.

Naoya Inoue beating Marlon Tapales has made him an undisputed world champion in two weight classes. His win has cemented his status as one of the best to ever pick up the gloves. ‘The Monster’ has stacked up 26 wins and is currently the holder of four world titles. However, is he the best pound-for-pound boxing champion at the moment? According to the internet, there is a debate to be had.

Following his recent win, fans started debating over who the best pound-for-pound fighter is. Inoue has always been up there in second place, right after Terence Crawford. ‘Bud’ has been the best P4P fighter for some time now. However, that place is no longer safe. A recent post put forth by a boxing editor, Michael Benson, seems to want to introduce some debate into the boxing world. But what exactly caused the debate?

Naoya Inoue secures win over Marlon Tapales, inches closer to the best P4P fighter

The fight between Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales was a treat for the audience. Inoue walked in as the unified WBC and WBO super-bantamweight title holder and left with two more belts, the IBF and WBA belt added to his collection. The Monster dropped Tapales in the fourth round and then knocked him out again in the tenth round to clinch the victory.

By winning this bout, Inoue created history. He along with Terence Crawford are the only two men to become two-weight undisputed four-belt champions. However, Crawford didn’t merely establish his supremacy as the top fighter in the 147-pound division. He cemented his place in history as one of the all-time greats with his exceptional performance against Errol Spence Jr. Do fans trust Inoue to take over the top position?

The boxing community divided over the king of P4P

Terence Crawford

Crawford with his 40 wins is really a formidable holder of the title. However, it is not a surprise that the ranks are up for debate with how well Inoue is doing. So when the question was introduced, the fans went into a frenzy with their opinions and judgments. “Who is boxing’s pound-for-pound king today? Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue?” asked the journalist, bringing forth a flurry of responses. One fan, staying slightly neutral, said, “Inoue in my opinion but either one is good.”

One fan giving the reason that Crawford’s activity has been less than impressive gave a lengthy answer saying, “Inoue honestly. I like Bud but activity is key. Can’t fight 1 time a yr and expect to be P4P. I’m prolly the minority in this and that fine. But I feel activity and what Inoue is doing should make him P4P #1.
Fans seemed divided over the two fighters. Nevertheless, both of these are the greats of our generation. Their sheer presence in the ring is a sight to behold. Their undefeated records are proof of their prowess and dedication. Inoue is climbing the ladder fast and now poses a significant challenge to Crawford. Do you think he will take over soon? We would love to hear your views in the comments below.

It was another sensational victory for Naoya Inoue, who is the undisputed super-bantamweight champion following a brilliant performance against the Filipino Marlon Tapales. He now holds the WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA belts, and enhanced his reputation for the spectacular after securing a 23rd knockout victory as he continues to compile a stellar boxing career.

Naoya Inoue became the undisputed super-bantamweight champion after a 10th-round knockout against Marlon Tapales at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
The 30-year-old Japanese came into Tuesday’s fight as the unified WBC and WBO champion, and has now taken the IBF and WBA belts away from the Filipino.
It was an historic night for Inoue, who holds the honour of being the first super-bantamweight champion of the four-belt era.
He also now ranks alongside Terence Crawford as the only two men to become two-weight undisputed four-belt champions.
This was also the 26th victory of the Japanese fighter’s career, with 23 of those coming by way of knockout to rank him alongside some of the sport’s pound-for-pound greats.
Inoue was progressive from the start of the fight and looked for the body shots early on against a much more tentative Tapales.
In contrast, Tapales could not find a way past Inoue’s defence, but the first telling blow came after he upped the ante in round four.
He managed to test Inoue a bit more, but was sent crashing to the ground after being on the receiving end of a left hook by the Japanese.
He carried on admirably, as Tapales landed several fine shots in round five, in what was the first of a few end-to-end rounds.
Naoya Inoue
However, Tapales hit the deck again in the 10th round and could not recover on this occasion after failing to beat the referee’s count.
“First of all, I would like to give a big shoutout to Marlon Tapales for taking this fight with me. Secondly, I would like to thank everyone who supported me and made this fight happen,” Inoue said afterwards in quotes published by The Independent.
“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to fight against such a tough opponent. I think super-bantamweight is my division now, so in 2024 I will look to show even greater form.
“I am so relieved at the moment to be victorious against such a strong, tough and spirited opponent.
“He never showed me fatigue or damage; I couldn’t see that from his face, so I was quite surprised when he went down in the 10th round.”
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Carl Frampton does not believe Naoya Inoue would be wise to move up in weight anymore.

Inoue began his career fighting at light-flyweight and has gone on to become a four-weight world champion as well as a pound-for-pound ranked fighter.

On Tuesday, the man from Japan added to his legacy by knocking out Marlon Tapales in the tenth round of their clash to become the undisputed super-bantamweight world champion.

This comes just a year after Inoue won the undisputed bantamweight titles when he KO’d Paul Butler.

Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton, however, thinks Inoue has gone as far as he can go in terms of weight classes.

Frampton made reference to a fantasy match up against one of the biggest pay-per-view stars in the sport Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, descri

He said on X: “No doubt Inoue is a generational great.

Gervonta Davis

“But, the talked about fight with Tank would be an absolute mismatch.

“I’m not even sure he beats the top featherweights.”

Before Frampton finished by saying: “Inoue vs Lopez tho?”

bing it as a ‘mismatch’.

Suggesting that he does want to see Inoue go up to featherweight and take on the current IBF world champion Luis Alberto Lopez, who won the title after beating Josh Warrington.

With that being said, it does not seem as if Inoue will be switching divisions anytime soon, as he said after his most recent win that the super bantamweight division is ‘my division’ and he will be staying there for the time being.