Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue 27-0 (24) has been crowned the best boxer of the past six decades by veteran promoter Bob Arum.
The 92-year-old Top Rank boss, who has co-promoted Inoue for the past five years, says there is nothing the four-weight world champion and two-time undisputed champ can’t do in the ring.
Earlier this month the 31-year-old Japanese phenom had to rise from the canvas in the opening round of his world championship defence against Mexican southpaw Luis Nery 35-2 (27), who he eventually blasted out in six.
The early adversity he faced and overcame in that bout just further reinforced to Arum the special talent he has on his hands.
“He is not only pound-for-pound the best in the world, Inoue is the best fighter I have ever seen, no matter what the weight category,” Arum told Jai McAllister on his YouTube channel.
“In over 60 years in boxing, I have never seen anything like Inoue. He’s a terrific young man. It’s scary with what I am seeing. He overwhelms really good opponents.
“I’ve never seen a fighter of that size perform the way he has. Maybe [Mexico’s former featherweight world champion] Salvador Sanchez had that ability. Even then, Sanchez did not win nearly all his fights by knockout.
“Inoue goes in, boxes, and knocks these guys out. What we’re seeing in Inoue is something that is really special.
“There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He’s as special to boxing to what [Japanese star] Shohei Ohtani is to baseball. We’re honoured to be playing a part in his career.”
Inoue is widely expected to face Australia’s Sam Goodman 18-0 (8) next, who is the number one contender with both the IBF and the WBO, although Arum says that fight could be pushed back until the end of the year.
“Inoue is in negotiations with Goodman for a fight to take place in September, but Goodman wants it to take place in December, which could mean Inoue fighting [TJ] Doheny in Japan in September,” Arum said in Perth last week while he was in town to attend the Vasiliy Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jr fight.
Doheny 26-4 (20), who boxed on the untelevised portion of the Inoue-Nery card, has now scored three straight knockout victories in Japan in the past year and is well-known to the local fight crowd after previously defeated Ryosuke Iwasa for the IBF super bantamweight title at Tokyo’s legendary Korakuen Hall six years ago.
“I am very much in the mix right now,” the 37-year-old Australian-based Irish southpaw told Irish Boxing. “Especially according to Bob Arum’s latest statement on Thursday in Perth. It’s looking very likely that I will be the front-runner in September with Goodman coming sometime after that.”
He added: “There will be a title opportunity either way. I am sitting third in the WBO rankings soon to be elevated to number two, which puts me in one corner for Inoue or a vacant title at the very least no matter what way things pan out this year.”