Naoya Inoue is considered by many to be among the best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet. He has reigned supreme in two weight classes, becoming undisputed at bantamweight and super bantamweight. It remains to be seen if Inoue will face Bam Rodriguez or whether he will move up to featherweight. Bruce Carrington, the WBC featherweight world champion, has spoken to Fight Hub TV, where he teased a plan to beat the Japanese superstar, should he move up to 126 pounds.
The future for Naoya Inoue
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Naoya Inoue following his win over Junto Nakatani. It’s difficult to see what is left for The Monster at 122 pounds, unless Bam Rodriguez moves up from 118 after just one fight, albeit a stoppage win against Antonio Vargas, to win the WBA bantamweight world title.
Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) has stopped many of his opponents or won very wide decisions. It’s hard to envision him defending his belts against Sam Goodman or Ryosuke Nishida, for example, despite their obvious talents. It’s the stage of Inoue’s career where it’s only big fights, and a showdown with Bam certainly ticks that box. Could Inoue move up to 126 pounds and challenge the champions there?
Bruce Carrington: ‘People Are Too Much in Awe of Inoue’
Discussing the awe around Inoue, and his own approach should Inoue move up to featherweight and face him, Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) said:
“I think that a lot of these guys show too much respect to Inoue. In the first round, they’re just gun-shy for some reason, and they’re overly cautious.
“When I think that if you just focus on the game plan and fight your fight, it should be okay. With Inoue, it’s nothing that I haven’t seen different. He’s a great fighter. bro. He knows how to steal rounds. He knows how to pace himself. He knows how to pick up the pace. When he needs to, he knows how to manipulate certain rounds in his favour.
“He has real, true experience. But there’s just so many things that I’m still seeing that he does over and over, even in later rounds. I ain’t gonna say too much, ‘cause if the fight happens, it’s definitely something that I’m gonna use that I know a bunch of people are not seeing, ‘cause they’re just so in awe with his fighting style and his knockouts and whatnot. I’m gonna shock the world whenever me and him fight.”
Featured Image Credit:
Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing