Monster’s Best Fights
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Boxing landed in Japan in 1854 and with the arrival of American sailors. Japan already had a rich history of fighting sports, including sumo wrestling, karate and kendo, and matches were organised between Japanese fighters and American boxers. While other sports have found more fans amongst the Japanese, boxing became poplar enough that several specialist gyms were founded, and the All-Japan Amateur Federation was founded in 1926. Japanese boxing has come a long way since then, producing many good professional fighters. But it is their latest product, Naoya Inoue, who is causing a stir on the international scene and raising the profile of the sport in his home nation. Inoue, nicknamed ‘The Monster’ is a three-weight world champion as well as being unified bantamweight world champion. Since he turned professional in 2012 he has had a number of nail-biting fights. Here are some of the highlights.
Inoue vs Donaire, Nov 7th 2019
Voted Ring Magazine’s Fight of The Year, Inoue vs Donaire was an edge-of-your-seat battle that went on for the full 12 rounds. Inoue started on top, but a left hook from Donaire in the second round gave him a fractured orbital socket and double vision. He also fought on with a broken nose to receive a unanimous decision from the judges and take home the Muhammad Ali trophy. This truly was a meeting of champions and, as you’d expect from the Super Series final, probably Inoue’s best fight to date.
Inoue vs Payano, July 20th 2019
On Inoue’s first venture into the World Boxing Super Series, he came up against Juan Carlo Payano in the quarter finals. Nine years his senior, Payano brought a decade of extra experience to the fight, but that counted for nothing when Inoue swung his famous killer right hand. A quick one-two sent Payano to the mat and the victory was Inoue’s with a 70 second KO: the fastest victory of his professional career.
Inoue vs Hernández April 6th 2014
The fight that saw Inoue defending his WBC light flyweight champion was another one of his best. He dominated his opponent, Thai boxer Samartlek Kokietgym, from start to finish. Inoue won every round on the scorecards and even managed to drop Kokietgym not once, but twice. He finally got his TKO in the 11th round, reminding everyone watching why he thoroughly deserved his title.
Inoue is already proving himself to be a force of nature, and he is only 26. With so many more career years ahead of him, there is no doubt that he will produce even more stunning bouts than those recounted above. One of those, his scheduled unification fight against John Riel Casimero on April 25th had been postponed because of the global pandemic, meaning that boxing fans will have to wait even longer to watch these two masters match fists in the ring.
Inoue vs Donaire, Nov 7th 2019
Voted Ring Magazine’s Fight of The Year, Inoue vs Donaire was an edge-of-your-seat battle that went on for the full 12 rounds. Inoue started on top, but a left hook from Donaire in the second round gave him a fractured orbital socket and double vision. He also fought on with a broken nose to receive a unanimous decision from the judges and take home the Muhammad Ali trophy. This truly was a meeting of champions and, as you’d expect from the Super Series final, probably Inoue’s best fight to date.
Inoue vs Payano, July 20th 2019
On Inoue’s first venture into the World Boxing Super Series, he came up against Juan Carlo Payano in the quarter finals. Nine years his senior, Payano brought a decade of extra experience to the fight, but that counted for nothing when Inoue swung his famous killer right hand. A quick one-two sent Payano to the mat and the victory was Inoue’s with a 70 second KO: the fastest victory of his professional career.
Inoue vs Hernández April 6th 2014
The fight that saw Inoue defending his WBC light flyweight champion was another one of his best. He dominated his opponent, Thai boxer Samartlek Kokietgym, from start to finish. Inoue won every round on the scorecards and even managed to drop Kokietgym not once, but twice. He finally got his TKO in the 11th round, reminding everyone watching why he thoroughly deserved his title.
Inoue is already proving himself to be a force of nature, and he is only 26. With so many more career years ahead of him, there is no doubt that he will produce even more stunning bouts than those recounted above. One of those, his scheduled unification fight against John Riel Casimero on April 25th had been postponed because of the global pandemic, meaning that boxing fans will have to wait even longer to watch these two masters match fists in the ring.