Naoya Inoue, undisputed tremendous bantamweight champion, has been ordered by the WBA to defend towards his obligatory Murodjon Akhmadaliev. The 2 fighters have till July thirtieth to comply with a deal earlier than a handbag bid. They’ve till September twenty fifth to battle.
The Case for Transferring Up in Weight
Naoya has already cleaned home within the 122-lb division, and there’s no level in staying on this played-out ghost city as a result of there aren’t any viable choices for him.
Some followers really feel that Inoue is afraid to maneuver as much as 126 as a result of many gifted fighters may beat him and wreck his recognition in Japan.
There’s zero upside for Inoue to remain at 122 to defend towards Akhmadaliev as a result of that’s not a battle that U.S followers could be taken with watching.
For ESPN to draw good scores for Inoue’s fights, he wants to begin dealing with opposition that followers care about, like Gervonta Davis, Vasily Lomachenko, and Shakur Stevenson. Combating within the U.S would assist as properly.
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) should resolve whether or not to take this battle or vacate. The Japanese star additionally has his IBF obligatory protection due towards Sam Goodman, which might be simpler for him as a result of he’s not a giant puncher.
A greater transfer for Inoue could be to vacate his 4 tremendous bantamweight titles and transfer as much as featherweight, the place he could be examined towards a greater class of fighters, which the boxing public wish to see him battle.
If Inoue moved as much as featherweight, he would have these attention-grabbing choices for him to battle:
– Nick Ball– Luis Alberto Lopez– Rafael Espinoza– Raymond Ford– Robeisy Ramirez
Potential Mega-Battle with Gervonta Davis
Naoya Inoue has the dimensions to maneuver as much as 135 to problem Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis for his WBA ‘common’ light-weight title in what could be an enormous pay-per-view contest between these two stars.
The previous IBF/WBA tremendous bantamweight champion Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KOs) misplaced his two titles to Marlon Tapales in 2023, shedding 12 spherical cut up determination. Inoue knocked out Tapales within the tenth spherical final December in Tokyo.
Final December, Akhmadaliev bounced again, stopping Kevin Gonzalez by an eighth-round knockout.
Inoue has constructed a resume from wins over non-big-name fighters, and a few folks imagine he’s overrated. Previous his greatest, Nonito Donaire had Inoue damage of their first battle in 2019. Donaire is the one notable title on Inoue’s resume.
