This one is sure to divide opinion, and possibly annoy some Manny Pacquiao fans! Top Rank boss Bob Arum, in speaking once again with Sky Sports, stated that current pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue’s career is “even more legendary than Manny Pacquiao’s.” Arum of course promoted Pac-Man for years, and now the Hall of Fame promoter co-promotes “The Monster.”
(Credit: Naoka Fakuda)
For many millions of fans around the globe, the ring exploits and simply incredible achievements of the southpaw whirlwind from the Philippines are unique, but Arum says Japanese superstar Inoue has gone one better in the legendary stakes, this as Inoue “has gone through one division after another without losing a fight.”
Both greats, Pacquiao and Inoue went through the divisions to win world titles, from flyweight all the way to light-middleweight in the case of Manny, from light flyweight to super-bantamweight in the case in Naoya. But Arum clearly values the way Inoue has managed to do what he’s done whilst avoiding defeat. And Arum points out the fact that Manny was knocked out during his career.
“Boxers are unique,” Arum said to Sky Sports Boxing. “Manny Pacquiao was a great, great champion, was great for boxing. His career is legendary. Naoya Inoue’s career is even more legendary because unlike Manny he he gone through one division after another without losing a fight. You really can’t compare either of them because they’re both obviously great fighters but they’re also different. Manny was reckless in a lot of fights and that’s why he got knocked out in the last fight that he had with [Juan Manuel] Marquez. Now Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter. He is much more correct in the ring. He doesn’t take foolish chances.”
Arum is correct in what he says with regards to Pacquiao being reckless at times, and not only in the finale with Marquez. But this is what made Manny so darned red-hot exciting. Inoue too is exciting, but he IS more disciplined in the ring, in his approach. Of course, any fighter can be caught and knocked out, but right now, the idea of Inoue being left face-first on the canvas in a fight is almost impossible to imagine.
But does this make Inoue a more legendary fighter than Pacquiao? One thing we can all agree on is how super-special a fight it would have been had Pacquiao and Inoue fought one another. Talk about a fascinating Dream Fight!
For the record, Pacquiao is the sport’s only eight division champion, with Manny becoming lineal champion in five different weight divisions. Inoue has won world titles at four weights, with him having become undisputed champion at two weights.
