Naoya Inoue is all business when he steps into the ring. Just ask any of his 21 victims, 18 of whom he has knocked out. There’s a reason his nickname is “Monster.”
So you might be surprised by one of his secret’s to success: Have fun.
“You can’t keep at this unless you really like it,” Inoue told The Associated Press. “There may be injuries and a risk to your life. It’s a dangerous sport. It’s not something you can do without liking it.”
Inoue should have a blast at around 10 a.m. ET Tuesday (no U.S. TV), when he defends his bantamweight titles against Thai contender Aran Dipaen (12-2, 11 KOs) in Tokyo.
The three-division beltholder is fighting in his native country for the first time since he survived a broken bone in his face to outpoint Nonito Donaire in November 2019, after which he stopped Jason Moloney and Michael Dasmarinas in Las Vegas.
[lawrence-related id=26942,21268]
Dipaen has some ability and his record suggests he can punch, but he has never tangled with anything remotely like the No. 3 fighter on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound.
Inoue’s goal in this fight and all the rest is to give the fans what they want – and then some.
“Each and every fan is going to have expectations,” he said. “I want to defy and go beyond each and every one of their expectations.”
And this is a scary thought: The near-perfect 28-year-old fighter is striving to get better.
“I am still far from the ideal style of boxing I am pursuing,” he said. “If I get contented now, then I will just hit a wall when I go to super bantamweight. There’s so much farther to go before I reach my peak, and I still don’t know my true potential.
“I still have seven or eight years as a pro, and so I’m going to keep heading higher.”
Inoue’s immediate goal is unify all four 118-pound titles, assuming things go well Tuesday. He has set his sights on WBO beltholder John Riel Casimero. We could see a rematch with Donaire, who holds the WBC title, after that.
Then it’s off to 122 pounds, at which the “Monster” could terrorize and new group of overmatched opponents.
Hideyuki Ohashi, a former world titleholder who operates the gym in Yokohama at which Inoue trains, said the champion has succeeded because he’s a complete package. He also mentioned the enjoyment factor.
“It’s not one thing or the other, but he excels in every aspect,” Ohashi said. “In boxing skills, his speed, the power of his punches, his timing. And most importantly he has mental strength.
“He is having fun.”