Naoya Inoue got his claim to the pound-for-pound crown in early. Mere days before Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr clash for the undisputed welterweight championship, the Japanese superstar made his case for global supremacy. ‘Kaibutsu’ was magnificent in dismantling previously-unbeaten WBC/WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton. A crunching eighth-round TKO netted the Kanagawa man a world title in a fourth weight class. It also put him at the very forefront of the pound-for-pound debate.
And still some observers were putting further obstacles between Inoue and wider recognition. It is an indication of how underserved the lower weights are that some went as far as to suggest Inoue needs to move up to the busy lightweight division. The Japanese fighter started his career as a light flyweight of 108 pounds. Now aged 30, he has just captured the 122-pound crown. The very idea Inoue should pack on another 13 pounds for a tilt at lightweight is laughable. Between Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson, 135 pounds is the hottest division in boxing. But the idea of Inoue bulking out significantly enough to join them is pure fantasy.
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Even if his 5’5" frame could take the extra muscle, even if the power that has seen him knock out 92 per cent of his opponents would carry, why should Inoue make the switch? Boxing at the lower weights has often struggled for recognition and column inches in the west. Inoue can headline arenas in his home country of Japan, with Asia always being hospitable to weightclasses below lightweight. But despite a glittering undefeated career, it is only in recent years that his efforts have achieved wider recognition worldwide.
Boxing at the lower weights and Inoue’s career in particular features many of the elements that people say the modern sport lacks. Observers lament the fact the best heavyweights don’t fight each other. They bemoan top names like Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fighting light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo rather than David Benavidez, the most viable super middleweight contender.
Inoue avoids that sort of cherry-picking and shows little of the reluctance that has left us with the best heavyweight on the planet fighting an MMA fighter later this year. The Fulton bout was one such example, as Inoue moved up from bantamweight to take on an unbeaten, world class belt-holder. Before that, ‘The Monster’ collected all four belts at bantamweight, including engaging in a rematch with Nonito Donaire. ‘The Filipino Flash’ had given Inoue his toughest night in 2019 in a Fight of the Year scrap. Not only did Inoue relish a rematch despite that difficulty, but he knocked Donaire out in two rounds in their re-do.
The art of pugilism is not diminished by the size of its participants. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to call Inoue anything less than the most exciting fighter on the planet today. While the heavyweights will always attract headlines, surely their more lumpen efforts cannot be compared with the razor-sharp assaults of ‘Kaibutsu’. The unified super bantamweight king does not owe anyone a move to an unnatural weight. Why blunt his gifts in a doomed search for validity? Inoue’s expert demolition of Fulton, a fighter of incredible standing going in, was more potent than any ill-fated dalliance with a higher division could be.
Let’s stop asking Inoue and other fighters who exist in the sub-lightweight ghetto to conform to our notions of brilliance. Inoue has given us some of the most thrilling ring displays of recent years. Others like him have produced the goods recently too.
Before he was a lightweight contender, Shakur Stevenson was a champion at featherweight and super featherweight, providing early-Mayweather thrills. Juan Francisco Estrada rules the world at super flyweight, having beaten the great ‘Chocolatito’ Roman Gonzalez in one of 2022’s best fights. Britain’s own Sunny Edwards is a colourful presence and a slickster in the ring. There is an embarrassment of riches out there for open-minded fight fans willing to look outside the traditional banner divisions.
Inoue will continue to amaze us. His next target should be a total unification of the super bantamweight crown. Marlon Tapales has the WBA and IBF straps in his possession and an undisputed title match is appetising to say the least. Let’s hope ‘Kaibutsu’ takes this route rather than giving in to pressure and stepping up too far in weight. Inoue has more than enough to offer where he is. Enjoy him for what he is, not what he isn’t.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
