By: Sean Crose
They call him “The Beast” for a reason, because he’s probably the best weightlifter in the world. At the age of 29, Naoya Inoue has won world titles in three weight classes without suffering a single defeat. Most recently, the 24-0 fighter became the undisputed bantamweight world champion by stopping Paul Butler in December. Now Inoue has announced that he is moving up to super bantamweight, following that left behind his undisputed bantamweight championship. That means he will be vacating the IBF, WBC, WBO and WBA bantamweight titles.
“The real battle begins here,” said Inoue, through Kyoto, at a news conference on Friday in his native Japan “I’m very excited.” Naoya seems to be realistically considering her decision to move up to super bantamweight, suggesting that massive success at the weight class won’t come overnight. “I am confident that I can go up against the highest level of bantam fighters, even at the moment,” he declares, “but it will take a while to make myself truly undefeated. .” Although Naoya has beaten all but three of her opponents over long distances, a boxer’s prowess doesn’t always translate to higher weight classes.
With that said, Inoue has made it clear that super bantamweight may be the final destination in his Hall of Fame-worthy journey. However, Inoue’s goal in his new division is to once again be the undisputed champion. Noting he’s in no hurry, the man points out that being an undisputed two-division champion puts him in the upper echelons of boxing celebrities. Inoue has yet to comment on who will be his first super bantamweight opponent, although it doesn’t look like he’ll be jumping up and down and challenging one of the weight’s world champions right away.
Given the current situation, Inoue will have to overcome Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Stephen Fulton if he is to become undisputed in this new weight class. Akhmadaliev holds the WBA and IBF belts while Fulton holds the WBC and WBO belts. Again, though, Inoue is clear that he’s in no hurry and things move quickly in boxing. If and when he gets the chance to fight for the world title at super bantamweight, Inoue will most likely be up against someone other than the current titles. However, no matter who he faces in the future, Inoue is sure to deliver his A-rank game, which is always an extremely dangerous one.
