When pound-for-pound best discussions and rankings come up, names such as Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez blare most often — deservingly so — in any given order.
Gervonta Davis, flanked by Floyd Mayweather Jr., recently declared himself the top pound-for-pound boxer, and why shouldn’t he? “Tank” is an undefeated two-time super featherweight champion with a ridiculous knockout ratio (21 KOs in 22 fights), and he’s moving up to lightweight to face Yuriorkis Gamboa on Dec. 28.
So, why not claim to be No. 1 pound-for-pound on a list whose criteria is pulled out the air and likely to be different from one boxing pundit to the next? Ask a dozen people for their list. They might have the same names but with plenty of variation, and that’s because skills and preference are almost always being considered hand-in-hand. It’s like asking a dozen people to name their Top 10 rappers — preference is going to present itself on every last one of their lists.
But whatever your criteria is for arguing out a pound-for-pound conversation, Naoya Inoue shouldn’t be left out. One could make the argument that the IBF and WBA (Regular) bantamweight champion should be in the Top 5 — and maybe higher— conversation. Oh yes, this “Monster” isn’t hiding under your bed. He’s out here, showcasing his skills before a sizzling boxing climate right now.
If you place precedence on a boxer successfully moving up in weight, Inoue scores points. At 26, the Japanese boxer is already a three-weight world champion (light flyweight, junior bantamweight, bantamweight).
If you put more of an onus on a fighter’s ability to finish opponents, Inoue hits the jackpot. His knockout ratio is ice cold, with 16 KOs in 18 pro fights.
Inoue’s sensational power and speed were on full display this past May, when he ducked under a left hook and dropped Emmanuel Rodríguez with a left hook of his own.
Although Rodriguez showed guts to get up from the battering, Inoue put him back down seconds later with a crunching left-right hook combination to the body. Both gloves planted into the canvas, his head down, Rodriguez got up again, only for Inoue to deposit him back down with a left hook to the body. The ref had seen enough and stopped the fight, giving Inoue the second-round TKO, IBF title and a spot in the World Boxing Super Series final.
Rodriguez walked into the ring that night at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow undefeated and walked out a shell of his former self, demolished at the hands of Inoue. It’s almost like no one man should have all this power at 118 pounds, but here Inoue is, piling up a highlight reel of knockouts.
Prior to disposing of Rodriguez in two rounds, Inoue finished Juan Carlos Payano in even more devastating fashion … and it only took him 70 seconds. That first-round TKO during the WBSS quarterfinal last October had Inoue angling his way inside and lasering a stinging left, before following it up with a straight right to the face that put Payano down in a heap in the blink of an eye.
Inoue should be near the top of your pound-for-pound conversation right now. If he’s not, a gaudy win over WBA (Super) bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire in the WBSS final at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Thursday morning (live on DAZN) will surely leave you with no choice. On paper, the 36-year-old Donaire (40-5, 26 KOs) easily represents Inoue’s stiffest test yet due to his battled-tested experience alone in a pro career that has spanned over 18 years.
Donaire edging Inoue would prove the Japanese star still has ways to go before truly basking in boxing greatness. However, making Donaire his latest knockout victim would have Inoue planting his flag in pound-for-pound debates definitively.
After all, monsters don't exist ... except this one.