By: Sean Cross
They call him “The Monster” because he is probably the best pound for pound fighter in the world. At the age of 29, Naoya Ino is undefeated and has won world titles in three weight divisions. Most recently, the 24-0 fighter became the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world by stopping the over-the-top Paul Butler in December. Now Inoue has announced his move to the Super Bantamweight division, leaving behind his undisputed Bantamweight Championship. That means he will vacate the IBF, WBC, WBO and WBA bantamweight titles.
“This is where the real battle begins,” Inouye said. Kyoto, At a press conference in his native Japan on Friday, Naoya seemed to be “really happy” with his decision to move up to bantamweight, showing that big success in the division doesn’t come overnight. “I’m sure I can take on top-level super bantamweights even now, but it’s going to take a while to make myself truly unbeatable,” he said. Although Naoya has knocked out all but three of his opponents from the distance, the fighter’s power doesn’t always carry over to the higher weight classes.
With that being said, Inoue has made it clear that super bantamweight could be the final destination on his Hall of Fame journey. Still, Inu’s goal in the new division is to become the undisputed champion again. Noting that the man is in no rush, he points out that being a two-division undisputed titlist puts him among boxing’s elite. Inoue hasn’t yet revealed who his first super bantamweight opponent will be, though it’s unlikely he’ll make the jump to challenge for one of the division’s world championships.
As it stands, Inoue would have to go through Murrodjon Akhmadaliv and Stephen Fulton if he wasn’t going to contend in this new weight class. Akhmadaliv holds the WBA and IBF titles while Fulton holds the WBC and WBO belts. Again, though, it’s clear that Inoue is in no rush and that things happen quickly in boxing. If and when he gets the chance to fight for a world title at super bantamweight, Inoue may face someone outside of his current list of incumbents. Whoever faces him in the future, however, there’s no doubt that Inoue will bring his A-game, which is always a very dangerous thing to do.
