W hen Naoya Inoue moved into the bantamweight and junior featherweight divisions, he played cobra to the reigning titleholders, most of whom were viewed as ill-fated rodents in a glass tank. Through 11 fights, Inoue repeatedly sank his fangs into his prey and emerged as undisputed champion in both weight classes. However, in two of his last three appearances, “The Monster” has been knocked off his feet by Mexican ex- titleholder Luis Nery and, more recently, Texas-based contender Ramon Cardenas. In both cases, Inoue got off the floor to retain his championship by destructive stoppage, but are these sudden moments of vulnerability a sign that his cloak of invincibility is wearing thin? “Almost all great fighters have been dropped,” countered
former Ring Magazine Trainer of the Year Joe Gallagher. “Elite fighters have an aura where you can hurt them and they say, ‘OK, I’ve been dropped, but I’m getting up and I’ll still beat you.’ Inoue has that old-school mentality.” Undeterred, the four-weight world champ is ready to embark on what could be the most challenging period of his career to date. If Inoue comes through a potentially tricky assignment against former unified junior featherweight titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14 in Tokyo, then all signs point toward a money-spinning superfight, as well as another jump up in weight. A new force out of Japan, Junto Nakatani, has sent shockwaves through the sport while collecting world titles in three divisions. Like Inoue, he’s unbeaten, fast, pound-for-
NAOYA INOUE HAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE GREATEST FIGHTERS OF THIS GENERATION, BUT THE MONSTER’S MOST ARDUOUS AND THRILLING CHALLENGES COULD STILL BE AHEAD OF HIM By Tom Gray DOUBLE JEOPARDY
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