Naoya Inoue is no secret in boxing circles, but the exploits of the fighter known simply as ‘The Monster’ are not fully celebrated in the wider sporting world. Yet there is a very strong argument that the 31-year-old Japanese fighter is the leading, most devastating exponent of the Noble Art on our planet today.
Earlier on Monday, with panache, precision, footwork and punching power, Inoue cemented his place at the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound list (a mythical list, of course, that can be debated among fans of the sport) by the Mexican Eliminate Luis. Nery in the sixth round in front of 55,000 adoring fans at the Tokyo Dome. The same arena where Mike Tyson suffered his shocking defeat to 42-1 underdog Buster Douglas in 1990.
If monster ‘Iron Mike’ suffered at the hands of his nemesis Douglas that long ago night, it was not in the spirit of the sport’s modern ‘Monster’ – Kaibutsu – as his ring nickname is known in his native country. Inoue is a boxing sensation, undefeated for 14 years and has won world titles in four weight classes from 108 pounds to 122 pounds. In Japan, Inoue is a real megastar, a household name.
Bob Arum, his promoter and the boss of Top Rank Inc., who has now been in the sport for almost 60 years, called the 6-foot-2 Inoue “the best fighter I’ve ever seen” after destroying southpaw Nery, who had only lost once in the match. his 36 professional matches, and was of course the bigger man. Some credit from Arum as he promoted many of the great fighters of his era, from Muhammad Ali and Marvin Hagler to Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao and later Tyson Fury.
There is certainly something very special in Inoue’s style and substance, underpinned by great modesty, although he did indulge in a bit of showboating in his Mexican opponent’s finish.
Why the monster? Simply put, Inoue has a 90 percent knockout rate in world title fights – and he’s been fighting there for a decade – and now finds himself in the same elite sport as Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez and others who have climbed the weight classes. with their skills and boxing IQ. Indeed, Inoue and Crawford are the only two male fighters to be undisputed champions in two weight classes in the era of four world title belts per weight class. If Usyk beats Tyson Fury in Riyadh in two weeks and claims all the heavyweight belts, he will join and create a triumvirate of special male prizefighters who have achieved two-weight distinction.
This was an even more dramatic fight, as Inoue was knocked to the canvas by a left hook from Nery in the opening round. But the moment deeply shocked Inoue and indeed brought out the best in him. The Japanese star had looked open and careless in that opening line, looking for devastating, aggressive punches, almost reckless. But all that trip to the canvas did was push him to tighten his defense, pick apart his foe and take him down with footwork, counter-punching skills and perfectly chosen jabs, body shots and power punches to effect a finish.
Inoue’s brilliance came to the fore in the second stanza, with a short left hook that defeated the Mexican, before another left hook in the fifth dropped Nery again, the decisive finish coming in the sixth round as the challenger’s depleted pulling power left, Inoue catapulted the loser into a loose-limbed victim in the ropes and finally down with a brutal right hand to the chin. It meant Inoue completed a second defense of all the super bantamweight titles he claimed last December.
How his crowd cheered him on as he addressed the crowd after the fight. Perhaps the reason why Inoue is a bigger secret is that despite the fights in Britain (and what a brief treat it was when he knocked out Emmanuel Rodriguez in two rounds at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow five years ago) and two stays in Las Vegas, his career took place almost exclusively in Japan.
In 27 fights in those four weight classes, there have been 24 finishes, all witnessed up close by his father, Shingo Inoue: his trainer and a former amateur boxer himself. To complete the fairytale, Inoue is married to his childhood sweetheart, with whom he has three children. He loves Disneyland parks and his favorite movie is Aladdin.
This genius – or ghost – in the ring moved closer to his destiny of becoming a modern master and one of the greats in boxing’s hall of fame.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
