By: Sean Crose
IBF and WBA bantamweights Naoya Inoue kept his impeccable record on Tuesday by stopping Aran Dipaen in the eighth round of their scheduled 12th round match at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo. Despite being widely expected to win, 28-year-old Inoue put on a performance guaranteed to please fans in his home country of Japan. Dipaen, 12-2, essentially never stood a chance against the pound’s heaviest-ranked man among many boxing analysts.
For the score 22-0, Inoue prevailed from the opening bell, slamming into him while also bleeding Dipaen’s nose. Dipaen was shaken several times, but his credibility didn’t drop until the eighth inning. Although bravely stood up, the challenger then had to fight off Inoue’s fierce punches. He simply couldn’t do it. The referee wisely stopped the game at 2:34 of the half. Inoue, who fights under the Highest Rated banner, can now have some big duel with him. A hot Nonito Donaire is desperate for a rematch after their tight 2019 fight and a bout against John Riel Casimero would be a bantamweight unifier.
