Former bantamweight champion Paul Butler says Naoya Inoue is choosing to stay at 122 rather than going up to featherweight because of the “big risk” that he would be facing fighting in that division rather than staying where he’s at with no one compelling to fight.
Nery Fight Exposes Vulnerabilities
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) had to get off the canvas to defeat Luis Nery (35-2, 27 KOs) by a sixth-round knockout in a successful defense of his undisputed super bantamweight championship on Monday night at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
The fight showed Inoue’s vulnerabilities with his chin, which could him easy prey if he moves up to 126 to face the more talented fighters in that weight class. That’s the real difference.
Super bantamweight has limited fighters with marginal ability, but four lbs up, that’s where the true class exists. It seems obvious that Inoue doesn’t want to take the risk of fighting those high-level fighters at featherweight; Hence, he chooses to stay at super bantamweight, where it’s safer.
Butler would have liked to have seen ‘Monster’ Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) move up to featherweight after he captured the undisputed super bantamweight championship in his previous fight, but Naoya knows “deep down’ that it would be different up there.
I think it’s obvious it would be VERY different at featherweight for Inoue, as he would have to face fighters that would not only potentially beat him, but knock him out and dim his star power. Obviously, staying where it’s safe at super bantamweight is one way for Naoya to avoid that terrible outcome.
Butler: Inoue Knows “Deep Down”
“Eventually, size will beat him, and that’s the case with Loma. You’re treating greatness that much that eventually size will become a big part in the fight,” said Paul Butler to Secondsout, talking about why Naoya Inoue won’t move up four pounds to featherweight to compete in that division.
Size would eventually catch up to Inoue if he moved up to 130 and 135, but NOT at 126. Inoue is as big as featherweight champions Luis Alberto Lopez and Raymond Ford.
Inoue would obviously be too small for champions Rey Vargas and Rafael Espinoza in terms of height. However, Inoue has beaten tall fighters before, like 5’10” Jamie McDonnell. So, height shouldn’t be an excuse for Inoue not moving up to 126.
Staying Safe vs. Testing Limits
“He knows that himself deep down that size could play a part because that’s why he’s staying at super bantamweight,” Butler said about Inoue. “He holds all the belts there. What point is it to take a big risk and going up to featherweight?”
The point is that if Inoue moves up to featherweight, his popularity will increase if hie beats the more talented fighters in that weight class rather than staying at super bantamweight and having no one compelling to fight. That’s the difference.
Tonight, Inoue brought his IBF 122-lb mandatory Sam Goodman into the ring after his win over Nery to let the fans know who he intends to fight next in September. The unheralded Goodman, an Australian fighter with no power, is completely unknown. Inoue won’t be tested by this guy, and it’s another safe fight for the Japanese star.
It shows that Inoue lacks confidence in himself because if he really thought he had the ability, he would move up to 126 to mix with the sharks in that division.
Where Are the Challenges?
“He hasn’t got no real challenges,” said Butler about Inoue having no one interesting to fight at super bantamweight if he decides to stay there. “I want to see him pushed and the boundaries he can go to. It would be nice to see him go up to featherweight.
“I thought he would go to feather straight after undisputed [at 122], but he obviously knows he’s not big enough and he’s probably not ready for featherweight,” said Butler about Inoue.
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