Naoya Inoue recently added another major victory to his résumé after successfully defending his undisputed super bantamweight titles against Junto Nakatani on May 2 at Tokyo Dome in Japan in one of the most anticipated fights in recent memory.
The clash brought together two of Japan’s biggest boxing stars and lived up to expectations early on, with Nakatani enjoying moments of success and creating several difficult moments for Inoue.
However, as the fight progressed, Inoue once again showed why many consider him one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best, controlling the championship rounds and securing a hard-fought unanimous decision victory.
Following the bout, the 126-pound WBC champion Bruce Carrington admitted that watching Inoue against Nakatani only strengthened his belief that he possesses the tools to eventually defeat ‘The Monster’.
Speaking to ES News, Carrington suggested he noticed things during the fight that increased his confidence about a future showdown.
“To be honest, I saw a lot of things that I can’t really say on here,” Carrington said.
The unbeaten American still praised Inoue’s ability but insisted he sees a path to victory.
“I’ve been ready. Inoue is still a spectacular fighter, but I just know I have what it takes to beat him.”
Carrington also credited Nakatani for his effort and admitted he expected a competitive battle between the two Japanese stars.
“Nakatani’s no slouch,” he added.
“I expected a good fight… he did what he needed to do to win.”
Bruce Carrington says he is ready whenever Naoya Inoue calls
Carrington then showed interest and expressed that he would welcome a fight against Inoue immediately if the opportunity presented itself.
“100%. I’m ready right now, I’m ready today, I’m ready tomorrow, I’m ready whenever.”
The WBC featherweight champion also delivered a direct message to the Japanese superstar.
“Come to the Shu Shu show, baby. I can’t wait to share the ring with you. It’s gonna be fireworks.”
While a fight between Carrington and Inoue remains a future possibility for now, the American champion has made his stance very clear after watching Inoue’s latest title defense.
Carrington is scheduled to defend his title against Rene Palacios in July at Wolstein Center, Cleveland.
He fought Carlos Castrol for the vacant WBC featherweight title in January. He knocked out Castro to capture the belt in January.
As for Inoue, he stated that he will be taking a long break. However, his father publicly urged his son to consider retiring at the absolute peak of his career.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has been calling out the super bantamweight champion for a mega fight. For that, Rodriguez needs to move up in weight to fight ‘The Monster’.
Rodriguez’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has also been pushing for that fight with Inoue and has publicly stated that his fighter has what it takes to beat the Japanese star.