Four-division world champion Naoya Inoue has responded to calls from fans who want to see a fight Gervonta Davis at some point in the future, despite their three-weight class differential.
Inoue is respected across the boxing community like no other after claiming the undisputed crown at bantamweight last December and since stepping up to super-bantamweight.
He knocked out Paul Butler in round 11 of their undisputed title bout in December last year, before moving up to 122lbs and stopping the poster boy of the division, Stephen Fulton, in round eight of their bout in July to claim the WBC and WBO titles.
The 30-year-old now seeks further success at the weight, taking on fellow unified champion Marlon Tapales next week in what will astonishingly be Inoue’s 21st consecutive world title contest.
While Inoue has had an otherworldly run of world title fights, the name that fans continue to call is that of Davis, due to the explosiveness and aggression in their respective fight styles.
In an interview with Fight Hype, Inoue admitted the obvious difficulties in making such a fight, with Davis currently fighting at lightweight, and Inoue being a former light-flyweight world champion that is pushing himself to the limit at super-bantamweight, before heaping praise on ‘Tank’ Davis.
“I don’t think that it is possible, it is more just hype that the fans are putting together.”
“I think of him very highly and I think that if he is in the lower part of the pound-for-pound [top ten], then I think that he should be up a little bit further than where he is right now.”
Inoue takes on Tapales on December 26 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, in a contest that could secure him the 2023 Fighter of the Year award and is available to watch live on Sky Sports.