Former featherweight king Barry McGuigan, writing in his traditional column for The Mirror, praises Japanese famous person Naoya Inoue, and the Irish legend says he feels “The Monster” may go as excessive as tremendous featherweight earlier than he’s carried out. McGuigan, like the remainder of us, has been mightily impressed by 31-year-old Inoue, a modern-day nice who has already gained world titles at 4 weights.
McGuigan says Inoue could be “the toughest pound-for-pound puncher on this planet” proper now, and the previous champ who lit up the decrease weights of the game himself again within the Nineteen Eighties provides of Inoue how “his development from light-flyweight world champion to super-bantamweight king is in contrast to something I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
“And he doesn’t appear like he’s stopping there,” Barry added.
Like so many followers, McGuigan wish to see Inoue field within the US once more, and McGuigan would additionally wish to see Inoue invade not solely the featherweight division, but additionally the 130 pound division.
“Some assume he can’t go increased. I disagree. I believe he can go up once more as a result of he has the scale to do it. He most likely hits with the facility of a super-lightweight,” McGuigan writes. “He seems like he’s not doing a lot and even making an attempt exhausting. He has an excellent physique however not one that means explosive energy. At light-flyweight, he was crammed in. He doesn’t look overly large now, however he has carried his energy ahead. Who is aware of what the restrict is? He would possibly even attain super-featherweight. It’s actually exceptional.”
It actually can be fairly one thing if Inoue have been capable of transfer up TWO extra weight divisions and conquer each. Inoue a six-weight world champion? It’s attainable, as McGuigan factors out. As for Inoue boxing once more in America, that is on the playing cards for subsequent 12 months. In distinction, the large one – as within the greatest struggle in Japanese boxing historical past – is a possible thriller within the type of Inoue Vs. Junto Nakatani. That struggle, if/when it occurs, will certainly happen in Japan, possibly at The Tokyo Dome.
However McGuigan says Inoue is now a “international determine” and, due to this fact, must struggle outdoors of Japan.
“I get it. In case you are packing out halls in Japan, you will wish to keep there, in entrance of an enormous crowd that helps you,” McGuigan continues in his column. “However he’s a world determine now. He must export that expertise so we will all admire him for absolutely the rock star he’s.”
Agreed.
Inoue, 28-0(25) has boxed within the UK earlier than, and the way nice wouldn’t it be for we UK struggle followers if he did so once more? This can be unlikely, nevertheless. Nonetheless, a “celebration” struggle in Vegas beckons, as Bob Arum stated earlier this week. For certain, Naoya Inoue now has the total consideration of the entire world.
