Naoya Inoue will keep at tremendous bantamweight to defend his undisputed championship in opposition to his IBF obligatory Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) subsequent on December twenty fourth in Tokyo, Japan.
Nakatani on the Horizon
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) desires to remain at 122 to defend in opposition to Goodman and probably face bantamweight Junto Nakatani in April 2025, in accordance with @Pugboxing. Naoya vs. Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) would occur on the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome.
Nakatani holds the WBC 118-lb title and can defend it on the undercard of Inoue vs. Goodman on Christmas Eve, December twenty fourth, in Tokyo. Having Nakatani on the undercard will set the desk for a conflict between them subsequent April.
That battle would play out large in Japan and among the many hardcore boxing followers within the U.S. Neither is well-known amongst informal followers within the States.
Many followers would like that Inoue not waste time combating the weak puncher Goodman and go straight into the battle with Junto Nakatani earlier than transferring as much as 126 to face the damaging opposition in that weight class.
Issues About Featherweight Transfer
Many imagine Naoya can be undone when he strikes as much as featherweight and begins combating proficient opponents like Bruce Carrington, Rafael Espinoza, Angelo Leo, and Nick Ball.
The way in which Inoue regarded on Tuesday night time in opposition to the 37-year-old TJ Doheny (26-5, 20 KOs), he’s not going to do effectively at featherweight combating the above names. That could be one of many the explanation why Inoue is selecting to remain at 122, combating previous guys like Doheny, weak punchers like Goodman, and smaller guys like Nakatani.
Inoue is aware of his limitations and desires to make sure that he retains profitable so long as potential earlier than he retires. That is sensible, nevertheless it additionally says loads about his not being pretty much as good as individuals had thought.
In Inoue’s battle in opposition to Dohney, we noticed a fighter who couldn’t throw combos and will solely throw one punch at a time. Inoue’s energy isn’t as harmful at 122, so he’s pressured to take photographs that he didn’t should earlier than when he was combating within the smaller weight lessons.
