Naoya Inoue is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and has become undisputed champion in multiple weight classes, but now a new world champion has said he is more than willing to step into the ring with ‘The Monster.’
Inoue was last in action in May, when he defended his WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF super-bantamweight titles with a sixth round stoppage victory over Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
The 31-year-old isn’t wasting any time getting back in the ring, as he returns to action in September, when he puts his undisputed crown on the line against TJ Doheny at the Ariake Arena, once again in Tokyo.
The Japanese star has competed at 122lbs for the past year, with fans already speculating about whether he will ever make the step up to 126lbs and into the featherweight division.
That weight class saw a new world champion crowned on Saturday, when Angelo Leo stopped Luis Alberto Lopez in the 10th round of their bout, scoring a knockout of the year contender and becoming IBF featherweight champion in the process.
Leo immediately made his intentions known following his victory, revealing that he is open to either a unification clash with another current featherweight champion, or welcoming Inoue to the 126lb division for a huge showdown.
“I want to fight all the champions, whether it be Rafael Espinoza for a unification bout. Naoya Inoue, whoever it may be.
“This means the world to me, fighting back in my hometown. I’ve been yearning for this moment. Like I said, what better way to do it than with a world title shot and with a knockout?
“That left hook, we’ve been practicing in camp for four, five months. Not in the gym, but in my room in front of the mirror. I just kept throwing that left hook. And it paid off in the 10th round.”
Leo is now a two-weight world champion, having also previously been WBO super-bantamweight champion, defeating Tramine Williams for the vacant belt back in 2020, before then losing the strap to Stephen Fulton five months later.
Before Inoue potentially thinks about stepping up to featherweight, there seems to be a number of potential opponents left for him at super-bantamweight, including Sam Goodman and Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who may be called as mandatory challengers against ‘The Monster’ in the near future.
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