Arum plans to have Inoue back in the US in 2025!
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Next week we’ll see a stacked card from Japan, with two world title fights, a world title eliminator, a regional title fight and a domestic title fight. Today, ahead of the show, there was a press conference at the Yokohama Bay Hotel, where the men involved in the main bouts on the show took part, seeing some interesting details of future plans being revealed.
One of the bouts will see Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16) [佐々木尽] defending his OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight titles against Australian challenger Qamil Balla (15-1-1, 8).
At the event Sasaki stated "I'm Sasaki Jin, the man who will become the first Japanese in history to become the world welterweight champion! I'm happy to be on this stage where Japanese superstar Inoue Naoya will be competing, and it's a chance to make an impression with so many more people watching. I want to show all my strengths." He then went on to add "I am more tense than I have been until now. However, I have no feeling that I will lose when I face him. He has impressive muscles, but his jaw is thin so I think I will be able to land a punch on him. I can clearly imagine myself winning." Sasaki also said "On the day, I will dance to the music, enjoy the ring at Ariake Arena to my own rhythm, and get everyone excited."
As for Balla, who happily posed whilst showing off his biceps to the attendees, "Regardless of age, my speed and power have improved. I will fight in his (Sasaki's) home ground with gratitude. Everyone in Japan, please watch our match and get excited. Please look forward to an upset."
In a world title eliminator at 140lbs Venezuelan veteran Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23), the current WBA "interim" champion at 140lbs, will face the unbeaten Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18) [平岡アンディ]. The two men here spoke highly of each other and it’s clear there is respect between the two men.
Hiraoka stated "I've been training well and am looking forward to the match. I've seen video of Barroso and he's a fantastic fighter. However, I will win and move on to the next match. I will be competing in the third match, and I will warm up the venue and pass the baton to Yuki (Takei Yuki) and Naoya (Inoue Naoya)." Whilst Barroso explained "I thank God for this opportunity. I am in good physical and mental condition. My opponent is a young and good fighter, but I came to Japan to win. I will put on a spectacular game. I have prepared myself to deal with any development. It all depends on how my opponents come out."
The first of the two world title fights on the show will see WBO Bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8) [武居由樹] defending his title in a mandatory defense against former WBC Flyweight champion Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19) [比嘉 大吾].
Here there seemed to be some spite. Takei explained "Everything has been going well so far. There are two days left (until the weigh-in the day before). I'll stay focused and do my best." He then turned his attention away from himself, and to Higa, who was standing next to him, "This is the first time I've met you since the match was decided, and you've got the same smiling face as always. Don't let that smile fool you, I'm going to go after you with murderous intent. I wasn't able to get a KO in the May match, so I'm sorry, Daigo, but I'm going to knock you out." Despite the comments there was respect throughout and it seemed more like Takei wanted to make a statement about how he will be fighting, rather than insulting Higa.
As for Higa "I have been training hard and have been losing weight steadily. Takei has good punching power, but I value his sense of distance more than that. The distance is long, but I have only practiced taking him down. I will put on the best match of this event."
The main event of the show will see Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24) [井上尚弥] battling against former IBF champion TJ Doheny (26-4, 19). At the press conference for this bout we not only heard from the two fighters but also the promoters of Inoue, who revealed the longer term plan for the Monster.
Inoue spoke about his preparation for the bout "I've been able to train well and am in great shape. I'm proud to be defending my four belts, and I want to fight in a match that I can be satisfied with on September 3rd." He then spoke about how the fight came to be "After he beat Nakajima Kazuki, he said he wanted to fight me in the ring, but at the time I thought there was no way he would fight me, but after he beat Lamid and KO'd him at the Tokyo Dome, I started to think about him." He then spoke about about Doheny "(Doheny's) fighting style itself is changing little by little, and he's showing a very good performance. He's a fighter who plays very scary matches, so I'm looking forward to the day."
Inoue also spoke about being knocked down by Luis Nery back in May, "I think I've become stronger because of that one round. It's changed the way I approach boxing. It was a really good experience. I want to fight carefully so I can make the most of it." It also seems that he really is quite worried about Doheny’s physical size, "(Doheny) is big, and I think he'll recover better than I can on the day. That's why I want to knock him out, and even if it's a decision, I want to convey the appeal of boxing. I'm prepared for both, whether it's a knockout or a decision. I'm not taking Doheny lightly. It won't be as easy as everyone says,"
As for Doheny he seemed to be full of confidence, despite being widely regarded as a massive under-dog, "I'm in top form. As a man who has dedicated his life to boxing, I respect Inoue, who holds belts from four different organizations. However, in the ring on September 3rd, I want to put that respect aside for now. I'm going to take back my belt."
Notably it was the comments of Bob Arum that were the most interesting, revealing that the hope is to get Inoue back over to the US in 2025, stating "My plan is to have him fight in Japan again this year, and then have him fight in Las Vegas next year. Just like when Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers fights, many Japanese people come to watch Inoue fight in Las Vegas, I hope that many spectators will come from Japan." Something that was then echoed by Inoue’s Japanese promoter Hideyuki Ohashi, who also hinted that the opponent for Inoue’s planned December bout will be Sam Goodman (19-0, 8).
One of the bouts will see Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16) [佐々木尽] defending his OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight titles against Australian challenger Qamil Balla (15-1-1, 8).
At the event Sasaki stated "I'm Sasaki Jin, the man who will become the first Japanese in history to become the world welterweight champion! I'm happy to be on this stage where Japanese superstar Inoue Naoya will be competing, and it's a chance to make an impression with so many more people watching. I want to show all my strengths." He then went on to add "I am more tense than I have been until now. However, I have no feeling that I will lose when I face him. He has impressive muscles, but his jaw is thin so I think I will be able to land a punch on him. I can clearly imagine myself winning." Sasaki also said "On the day, I will dance to the music, enjoy the ring at Ariake Arena to my own rhythm, and get everyone excited."
As for Balla, who happily posed whilst showing off his biceps to the attendees, "Regardless of age, my speed and power have improved. I will fight in his (Sasaki's) home ground with gratitude. Everyone in Japan, please watch our match and get excited. Please look forward to an upset."
In a world title eliminator at 140lbs Venezuelan veteran Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23), the current WBA "interim" champion at 140lbs, will face the unbeaten Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18) [平岡アンディ]. The two men here spoke highly of each other and it’s clear there is respect between the two men.
Hiraoka stated "I've been training well and am looking forward to the match. I've seen video of Barroso and he's a fantastic fighter. However, I will win and move on to the next match. I will be competing in the third match, and I will warm up the venue and pass the baton to Yuki (Takei Yuki) and Naoya (Inoue Naoya)." Whilst Barroso explained "I thank God for this opportunity. I am in good physical and mental condition. My opponent is a young and good fighter, but I came to Japan to win. I will put on a spectacular game. I have prepared myself to deal with any development. It all depends on how my opponents come out."
The first of the two world title fights on the show will see WBO Bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8) [武居由樹] defending his title in a mandatory defense against former WBC Flyweight champion Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19) [比嘉 大吾].
Here there seemed to be some spite. Takei explained "Everything has been going well so far. There are two days left (until the weigh-in the day before). I'll stay focused and do my best." He then turned his attention away from himself, and to Higa, who was standing next to him, "This is the first time I've met you since the match was decided, and you've got the same smiling face as always. Don't let that smile fool you, I'm going to go after you with murderous intent. I wasn't able to get a KO in the May match, so I'm sorry, Daigo, but I'm going to knock you out." Despite the comments there was respect throughout and it seemed more like Takei wanted to make a statement about how he will be fighting, rather than insulting Higa.
As for Higa "I have been training hard and have been losing weight steadily. Takei has good punching power, but I value his sense of distance more than that. The distance is long, but I have only practiced taking him down. I will put on the best match of this event."
The main event of the show will see Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24) [井上尚弥] battling against former IBF champion TJ Doheny (26-4, 19). At the press conference for this bout we not only heard from the two fighters but also the promoters of Inoue, who revealed the longer term plan for the Monster.
Inoue spoke about his preparation for the bout "I've been able to train well and am in great shape. I'm proud to be defending my four belts, and I want to fight in a match that I can be satisfied with on September 3rd." He then spoke about how the fight came to be "After he beat Nakajima Kazuki, he said he wanted to fight me in the ring, but at the time I thought there was no way he would fight me, but after he beat Lamid and KO'd him at the Tokyo Dome, I started to think about him." He then spoke about about Doheny "(Doheny's) fighting style itself is changing little by little, and he's showing a very good performance. He's a fighter who plays very scary matches, so I'm looking forward to the day."
Inoue also spoke about being knocked down by Luis Nery back in May, "I think I've become stronger because of that one round. It's changed the way I approach boxing. It was a really good experience. I want to fight carefully so I can make the most of it." It also seems that he really is quite worried about Doheny’s physical size, "(Doheny) is big, and I think he'll recover better than I can on the day. That's why I want to knock him out, and even if it's a decision, I want to convey the appeal of boxing. I'm prepared for both, whether it's a knockout or a decision. I'm not taking Doheny lightly. It won't be as easy as everyone says,"
As for Doheny he seemed to be full of confidence, despite being widely regarded as a massive under-dog, "I'm in top form. As a man who has dedicated his life to boxing, I respect Inoue, who holds belts from four different organizations. However, in the ring on September 3rd, I want to put that respect aside for now. I'm going to take back my belt."
Notably it was the comments of Bob Arum that were the most interesting, revealing that the hope is to get Inoue back over to the US in 2025, stating "My plan is to have him fight in Japan again this year, and then have him fight in Las Vegas next year. Just like when Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers fights, many Japanese people come to watch Inoue fight in Las Vegas, I hope that many spectators will come from Japan." Something that was then echoed by Inoue’s Japanese promoter Hideyuki Ohashi, who also hinted that the opponent for Inoue’s planned December bout will be Sam Goodman (19-0, 8).