By: Sean Crose
He ultimately won, but Naoya Inoue found himself in a place few expected him to be on Monday in Tokyo, Japan – on the mat. A perfect left hook from his opponent Luis Nery knocked out undisputed super bantamweight champion Inoue in the first round. It can be said that this was the first time Inoue 26-0 was sent off. Despite rising to beat the count, Inoue still had to fend off Nery at 35-1 as the challenger went in for the kill. Nery managed to survive the round, but one point was made clear – Inoue, when faced with the right opponent, can really get hurt.
It’s not that Inoue didn’t seize the opportunity after tasting the picture. For, although Nery had an excellent first fight, the fight belonged to Inoue from the second round onwards. Nery himself tasted disaster in the second round, then Inoue dropped his brave old list again in the fifth round. And then Friday came. Nery looked completely beaten while Inoue began taunting his man. In the end, it was Inoue’s Dempseyesque combination that sent Nery off the field for good. His head swaying under the ropes as if connected to his torso only by a string, the fearless Nery was the picture of defeat.
At 31 years old, Inoue’s career is now worth considering as a whole, as he is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters of this generation of fighters. Many, if not most, analysts feel that either Inoue or Terence Crawford is the best active fighter in the world today. Although this writer gives a slight edge to Crawford, there is no denying that Inoue is on par with the magnificent Nebraskan. First, all but three of Inoue’s current 27 wins have come within the distance.
If that wasn’t enough, the fighter known (understandably) as “The Beast” has won world titles in four separate weight classes – and is the undisputed champion in two of them. those four weight classes. Only Crawford can claim to have accomplished such a feat. However, Inoue doesn’t just impress on paper. Watching a man in action is like watching a human cannon destroy his target. His punches are powerful and precise. We live in an age of hype, but at this point, it’s not ridiculous to ask where Inoue might rank among the legends of the sport.
