Man On Fire

By Tom Gray |

FUELED BY CRUSHING KNOCKOUT POWER AND SUPERB BOXING SKILLS, JAPANESE STAR NAOYA INOUE’S BLAZING ASCENT TO ELITE STATUS IS CREATING TALK OF WORLDWIDE FAME

Interview translation by Masa Ueda

One-two.

The jab-cross is a combination that you learn very early in any worthwhile gym in the world. It’s Boxing 101. It’s a maneuver the average person off the street could mimic effortlessly. However, there are one-twos and there are one-twos, and the power-packed two-piece that struck Juan Carlos Payano on October 7 at Yokohama Arena was the latter.

With just under a minute gone in round one, Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue landed flush on the hard-nosed former bantamweight titleholder. No gimmicks. Nothing complicated. Just two basic punches and Payano, who had lost just once in 21 professional fights (via majority decision to Rau’shee Warren) was switched off like a porch light. The official time was 1:10.

How’s that for a mic drop?

Inoue (17-0, 15 knockouts) is accustomed to making a big impression. In April 2014, four days prior to his 20th birthday, he stopped Adrian Hernandez in six rounds to win the WBC junior flyweight title. Nine months later, the explosive boxer-puncher jumped up to junior bantamweight and wrenched the WBO belt from long-reigning Omar Narvaez via second-round knockout. And British veteran Jamie McDonnell, unbeaten in 10 years, was relieved of his WBA “regular” bantamweight belt in May, when he also succumbed to a shuddering first-round stoppage.

Crushing performances are habitual, but why was Payano so easy?

“It’s difficult to say if Payano made a mistake or not, because it was such a short fight,” said Inoue when asked by The Ring what weakness he had detected. “When I stepped in, I knew the punch was going to land, and I knew I was going to get the knockout. In a big match, when everyone’s watching, I feel it’s better for me to knock someone out as early as possible.”

Once everyone got their breath back, nobody was complaining. We already knew that Inoue was an authentic knockout-puncher who had carried his power up to bantamweight. We got that memo when “The Monster” feasted on McDonnell, who had never been stopped in 32 prior outings. However, the Payano obliteration, in what was Inoue’s World Boxing Super Series debut, sent serious shockwaves through the sport.

“I rank Inoue as the number-one fighter, pound for pound, in the world today,” opined Los Angeles trainer Rudy Hernandez, who was introduced to the Japanese boxing scene in the 1980s through his brother, late 130-pound champ Genaro Hernandez, whose manager was from Japan. “This kid was special from the get-go. He has everything, and he’s still growing and maturing. He’s just phenomenal, and we haven’t seen the best of him yet.

“Sometimes you get fighters that, no matter who trains them, no matter who they’re with, are born to be special. Guys like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones Jr. were meant to be great. They were the chosen ones, right? Inoue is one of them.”

So is Inoue a gift from the boxing gods? Maybe, but he was also chosen by his father. Shingo Inoue competed very briefly as an amateur boxer but couldn’t pursue the sport with zeal due to other commitments. However, his passion for boxing was undeniable and, as it turned out, contagious for his sons – both Naoya and younger brother Takuma, an unbeaten bantamweight contender – and they set out to forge their own paths in the sweet science.

“My father taught me the fundamentals, especially the defense,” said Inoue, who is rated No. 1 by The Ring at 118 pounds. “That’s the base of my boxing. If it wasn’t for my father, I wouldn’t have taken up the sport. He’s basically what boxing is to me and I feel his influence. All of my success comes from my father.

“It’s not a natural thing. I’ve been training since I was 6 years old. I don’t work on power in the gym – there’s no special training for that – I just practice. I work hard to develop my skills, my technique and my overall ability. One of my greatest assets is actually my timing.”

“In order to have timing, you need to see everything coming at you,” offered Hernandez, who has worked with dozens of Japanese standouts over the decades and currently coaches WBO junior lightweight beltholder Masayuki Ito. “Every fighter makes a certain move before they punch, and Inoue catches on to an opponent’s timing right away. Also, he’s not a fighter who gets hit very often because, like Floyd Mayweather, he’s able to read an opponent.

“He’s just the full package. It’s hard to criticize a fighter who has had nothing but success. He always knows where he needs to be inside that ring, and he knows the distance he needs to have. Eventually he just breaks his opponents down and knocks them out.”

So can Inoue maintain this momentum and cross over to become a global attraction? The two most popular sports in Japan, by far, are soccer and baseball, so fan affection at home hasn’t been quite as big as one might expect. It has therefore been difficult for that fearsome reputation to resonate any further.

Also, until very recently, Ryota Murata was the fighting man of the moment in Japan. Why? Because he was a (WBA regular) middleweight titleholder and an Olympic gold medalist. Timing, however, is everything, and Murata’s recent points defeat to Rob Brant juxtaposed alongside Inoue’s stunning WBSS entry could prompt a natural changing of the guard.

“Inoue’s exposure has grown since he joined (show business company) Hori Productions,” said boxing writer Yuriko Miyata, who has covered the Japanese scene for more than 20 years. “He appears on variety shows on TV, and an autobiography has been published.

“He can be the first Japanese fighter to be recognized as great worldwide. Of course, in this era, technology helps a lot. Some old Japanese fighters could have been recognized if they were here now. Usually Japanese world champions fight at home, but I believe that a world champion has to fight anybody, anywhere to prove he is strongest. Inoue can be the one to do that.”

In May 1998, an undistinguished flyweight named Manny Pacquiao made the 2,000-mile trip from the Philippines to Japan for a 10-round bout against Shin Terao at Korakuen Hall. Pacquiao, a home-run hitter at the lower weights, floored his man three times and knocked him out in a single round. Miyata covered that show from ringside and “never could have imagined” that Pacquiao would go on to become a global star.

“Manny Pacquiao had a different kind of charisma,” said Hernandez. “He was Filipino, and different countries produce different personalities. Inoue doesn’t say a whole lot, because he doesn’t have to. He just goes in there, finishes fighters off and makes it look simple. That’s the path he’s on.

“With Pacquiao, he had the speed, the jumping around, the smile. He had a little more going for him in the promotional sense. Also, if you can speak English (Inoue does not) that helps to promote you. But then again, Roberto Duran didn’t speak English. I understand in today’s era that you have to get yourself out there, but that’s not Inoue. He just fights, wins and shows respect.”

Inoue admitted that he craves the type of superstardom that Pacquiao enjoyed, but for now it’s all about taking care of business in the ring. In early 2019, he will face unbeaten IBF bantamweight titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez, who outpointed Jason Moloney in Orlando, Florida, on October 20. Should Inoue prevail, he would meet either Zolani Tete or Nonito Donaire in the tournament final.

“From looking at the Moloney fight, I could see that Rodriguez had speed, technique and very good fundamentals,” said Inoue, who was ringside. “I think it’s going to be a good fight, and we’ll both try to match each other’s skills. I can see this fight being at close distance and very skillful.

“This tournament allows us to find out who really is top of the division. The main reason I entered is because I wanted to prove I was number one. It would have been hard to become undisputed champion without the World Boxing Super Series. Right now, I am motivated to show my skills, my speed and my power all over the world, not just in Japan.”

If he wins the inaugural WBSS bantamweight tournament, Inoue will emerge as IBF, WBA, WBO and, most likely, Ring Magazine champion at 118 pounds. And despite the terrific fighters that he will have to overcome to lay claim to the prestigious Muhammad Ali trophy, Inoue will be a prohibitive favorite to do just that.

“All of them are in trouble,” laughed Hernandez when he considered the plight of the tournament’s other competitors. “As I told you, I rank Inoue as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Based on his abilities and what he’s shown, there’s not a bantamweight out there that can beat him.”

Hernandez, a former pro boxer who isn’t easily impressed by this era’s fighters, is obviously sold on Inoue, and he has been for some time. The boxing media have gotten the picture in a big way – hence this month’s cover star – and fight fans are clamoring to see “The Monster” unleashed as soon as possible. Yes, the excitement is definitely building for Naoya Inoue, who continues to take his chilling reputation to new heights.

He might never become a Manny Pacquiao – there will never be another Pacquiao – but this is a new kind of star with his own unique style and one very unique mission.

“I’m 25 years old right now, and I’m very happy that I’m leading the way in the Japanese boxing scene,” said Inoue, who enjoys spending time with his infant son and singing karaoke when he isn’t producing bone-crunching knockouts.

“I plan to make the sport even bigger in my country, and that is a big motivation for me. The sport is gradually getting bigger in Japan, but there’s more to be done. I would be very happy if little kids took up boxing because they look up to me as a role model.”