Naoya Inoue is poised to close 2024 as the dominating force in the sport moving into 2025.
Consider that while Canelo Alvarez is playing out the string in the super-middleweight division, that Terence Crawford seems only to have eyes for Alvarez and that the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury winner will be in their late 30s, four-division champion Inoue, 28-0 (25 KOs), is intent on embracing the most fervent bouts possible.
And while former unified super-bantamweight champion Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev is giving Inoue, 31, grief over selecting his IBF mandatory Sam Goodman as his Christmas Eve for in Tokyo, Inoue told BoxingScene in an exclusive interview that he’s sufficiently impressed with the talent of Goodman 19-0 (8 KOs).
“Sam Goodman is a well-balanced, all-around fighter,” Inoue said. “He is undefeated and ranked No. 1 by the WBO and IBF for a reason. It will not be an easy fight.”
Inoue has finished nine consecutive opponents after going the distance with Nonito Donaire in the 2019 Fight of the Year. In May, he responded to a first-round knockdown punch by Mexico’s Luis Nery by scoring a sixth-round TKO in front of a packed Tokyo Dome.
Inoue then overcame a lethargic first few rounds to dispose of Australia’s TJ Doheny with a barrage of body shots that ended that September bout in the seventh round.
BoxingScene asked Inoue if he feels himself improving with each bout, asking if he motivates himself by being his own hardest critic or if he has found satisfaction with his position in the sport.
“I’m getting at controlling my emotions during the fight,” Inoue said. “I motivate myself by saying, ‘I will perform better than the fan’s expectations.’”
Inoue’s global reach increases almost daily. Last week, he struck a near $20 million sponsorship/branding deal with Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia.
Inoue’s American promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, told BoxingScene previously that he’d like to bring Inoue to Las Vegas for an April superfight against unbeaten WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani 29-0 (22 KOs).
Inoue also could entertain the multitude of featherweight champions urging him to move up and seek a fifth division title.
On those topics, he said, “In the U.S. or Japan, I’ll welcome any ‘superfight.’ I haven’t decided on when I’ll be moving up in weight.”
Asked which fighter he wants to most get in the ring with, Inoue said, “I don’t have any [one] particular fighter in mind. After I get past each fight, I’m sure the best opponent for me will appear.”
Last month, Inoue found himself at the two-day festival of title fights in Japan, seated alongside Mexico’s Alvarez.
The language barrier kept them from an extended conversation, but photographs of the pair together went viral and now we know what Inoue was thinking in those scenes.
“My impression of Canelo was how bulky he was,” Inoue said.