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By Stefan Radosavlevic: Calmly and respectfully, Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue celebrated his 23rd win and third belt in his weight class last June with a victory over Nonito Donaire. He raised his right hand and hugged his opponent as if it was a sparring session, that’s it.
No trash talk, no over the top party, just a clean class. Naoya Inoue’s victory over Nonito Donaire on June 7 of this year brought him the WBC belt which put him one step away from the bantamweight division. This is his fifth belt in the third division. The Japanese boxer previously held the WBO junior-bantamweight title from 2014 to 2018 and the WBC flyweight title in 2014.
His record and progress are amazing, but not the number of battles and titles he won; that’s how he did it. The nickname “Monster” is well deserved!
Inoue finished his career with a score of 75-6 and turned professional in 2012. In his fight, the Japanese fighter defeated Crison Omayao, the champion of the Philippines. In 2014, just six fights into his professional career, Naoya became the WBC flyweight champion, defeating Adrian Hernandez by TKO in the sixth round. At the end of 2014, he won the WBO lightweight belt.
Monster’s victim this time is the reigning heavyweight champion, Argentinian boxer Omar Narvaez, who was knocked out in two rounds. After seven title defenses, Inoue moved to bantamweight and, as we have seen, became the undisputed, one-fight undisputed champion.
The bantamweight fight is, in my opinion, his best career, at least for now. Anyone who watched Jamie Mcddonell and Juan Carlos Payano fight knows what I’m talking about. How Inoue dominated these two world class fighters is amazing. Of course, the Nonito Donaire fight is something special. This is the first time that Japan’s top boxer has been seriously injured.
Although in his late thirties, Donaire remains a formidable opponent. But even he couldn’t withstand Inoue’s attacks and lost points. The rematch was much shorter, and the Philippine fighter was out in two rounds.
Yes, the power is there; You don’t get the nickname ‘Monster’ by being a dancer; you need to get people out. But it is only one power of Naoya’s game. He is a complete fighter with excellent timing and excellent punching skills. One thing that boxing fans tend to forget about him is his weight; he is always in a good position to defend himself and attack.
The best part is that it is still improving. Compare the last five or six fights, and you’ll see that Inoue is taking more and more responsibility on defense in each fight. Now, add power (in both hands) to that skill set, and you’ve got yourself a monster.
Like the great champions before him, he made boxing look easy. Inoue also has a unique skill set that is sorely missed in today’s boxing: he is humble, respectful, and quiet. Anyway, he reminds me of legends like Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano.
Naoya Inoue is one of my favorite boxers, so maybe I’m wrong about him, but right now, I can’t see any major flaws in his game, in and out of the ring. He is the favorite to win against the British fighter Paul Butler and he is only 29 years old, so I hope we are in for more good boxing matches.
Finally, of course, I have to ask a reasonable question; what if he exercises again in weight? Monster’s 5’5 may be a problem, but if he is able to maintain his power in the higher weight classes, who knows what could happen?
What do you think about Inoue at junior featherweight and featherweight? Write in the comments.
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