Those who wish to see Japanese superstar and pound-for-pound king (in the opinion of some, not all) Naoya Inoue move up to the featherweight division will have to wait for two years. “The Monster,” who is just 3-0 as a super-bantamweight and will make the second defense of his four belts against Ireland’s TJ Doheny on September 3 in Tokyo, said at yesterday’s press conference to announce his upcoming fight that he will stay put for two years.
“I will stay at this 122 pound division for two more years,” Inoue, 27-0(24) said. “Without being physically matured and developed, I won’t move up to the feather [weight] category.”
Inoue is a special fighter, yet some fans want to see him tested hard. These fans feel Inoue should go for more titles up to 126 pounds. But Inoue will not be pushed; he is realistic and will not force his body to take on too much weight. The move to featherweight may come in time, but not until 2026 at the earliest.
This means Inoue can get busy thoroughly and comprehensively cleaning out the 122-pound division. So, those critics who suggest Inoue is “ducking” Murodjon Akhmadaliev will very probably have to have a change of heart. Look for Inoue, over the course of his two remaining years at super-bantamweight, to fight his WBA mandatory challenger (this being Akhmadaliev) after he has beaten Doheny and then his IBF mandatory challenger, Sam Goodman (this, of course, is assuming Inoue does not suffer an upset loss to either guy).
31-year-old Inoue has already won world titles at four weights, and that fifth weight division will have to wait – for now, for two years. This is good news for the super-bantamweight division. Assuming Inoue does beat Doheny, Goodman, and then Akhmadaliev, who might get the next shot at derailing “The Monster?”
Inoue is an exceptional fighter, and we should all enjoy watching him do his thing while we can.
