Whilst we all know that Ukrainian sensation Vasyl Lomachenko is being fast tracked through the world of boxing he’s not the only one. Another man who is looking to be fast tracked this year is Japanese teenager Takuma Inoue (1-0).
Takuma Inoue is the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, a man who has been creating waves since his debut in late 2012. For Takuma his brother is a rival. Where Naoya became a Japanese champion in 4 fights, Takuma wants to do it in 3, where Naoaya took 5 fights to become OPBF champion, Takuma wants to take just 4.
To move to those titles so quickly Takuma and his team have announced that they are looking for world ranked opponents for his second professional contest. Of course this leaves them needing to really hunt a suitable foe but the intention is obvious Takuma Inoue is being given the sink or swim treatment. The risky matchmaking has worked for his brother and some are suggesting that Takuma is potentially even better than Naoya.
Managed and promoted by Hideyuki Ohashi and the Oashi Gym, Takuma Inoue is one of a number of young Japanese fighters who are tipped to be future world champions. The good thing about these youngsters is that we will know how good they are very early in their careers, there is no waiting about and wondering when will they fight some body. It’s a shame that more fighters don’t have the same ambition as the Inoue family seem to.
Scott Graveson reports on the asian boxing scene for AsianBoxing
