How do you beat Naoya Inoue?

While we are preparing for the 72-hour boxing party of this weekend, the best may be recorded for the end.

Sunday evening, in Las Vegas, Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KB) is making a comeback in the United States, defending his undeniable rooster weight against the Challenger Ramon Cardenas (26-1, 14 KB) inside the T-Mobile arena.

Inoue 32 years old, N ° 3 books for non-couronne books in the worldhas a spotless file as a professional. His 13 years in the paid ranks have accumulated world championships in four weight categories and his name was rooted alongside Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk as the best of boxing for several years.

All opposite, The “monster” of Japan looks and feels unbeatable.

Helped by his aforementioned nickname and a lack of spoken English, there is a mystique attached to Inoue. Like Mike Tyson in the 1980s, the fighters felt beaten before having exchanged leather with him, paralyzed by his aura.

Only David Carmona, Ryoichi Taguchi and Nonito Donaire heard the last bell in an Inoue competition – the latter was then arrested inside two laps in a revenge match.

The former world champion of Coq weight Jamie McDonnell discovered the power of Inoue to the hard. Starting at the limit of 118 pounds in 2018, Inoue recorded her 16th victory and won the WBA World Title (regular) in Bantamweight, blowing the Briton in less than two minutes.

“He looked at about 13 years old,” McDonnell told without crown, feasting his arrival in Tokyo, Japan. “I must be honest, I didn't know much about (Inoue), but our child (brother) did it and his face fell when I told him who I was fighting.

“It is as if he had rocks in his hands. He strikes so hard. I did not feel comfortable in weight in general, but even so, he was just able to flatten me. If he had not obtained the stop in this first round, I would have been withdrawn at the end of the first anyway.

“I have no idea how you beat him. I don't think no one knows. I would have been condemned to a fine of £ 100,000 if I had lacked weight in this fight – I did a lot to make sure I did it, even having a colic, but looking back, I think it could have been worth to accept the fine to give me a chance to fight.”

Australia Jason Moloney made a fiery and skillful effort in 2020, finally succumbing to the power to Inoue in the seventh round. Inoue managed to drop the former rooster weight champion twice before a perfectly timed right hand puts an end to the argument.

“A lucky punch concerns your only chance to beat him,” said Moloney. “I don't give many people to beat him – he is exceptional.

“What is important is that Inoue really supports – he will take risks, which makes him so exciting to look at and so dangerous. He supports himself and his power, but when he attacks, he is there to be struck if he is good enough. But who is?

A popular belief is that the first loss of Inoue will be graceful to jump a weight category too much. He won the honors of the world to super bog weights, super flies, rooster weight and super cock of weight, becoming the first man to own the four titles recognized up to 122 pounds.

Naoya Inoue broke Jamie McDonnell during their title fight 2018. (Images Takashi Aoyama / Getty)

(Takashi aoyama via Getty Images)

The former world of featherweight and competitor super featherweight Leigh Wood agrees. The Nottingham fighter was some success against Inoue in the fight a few years ago – to the grandfather Inoue, Shingo Inoue's, Delight. Wood played Naoya and his brother Takuma Inoue in consecutive days in Japan, but was under the illusion that he was just with the younger brother.

“They had the same equipment, the same leader and look quite similar,” said Wood. “I had some success against Takuma on the first day and, on the second day, we started the Spar and I said to myself:” F *** me, it is much sharper today! “

“I caught him with a charming one-two and I rocked him in the back of his heels and his father became crazy in the area, applauding and applauding! I was very confused. But he bounded directly on me and continued to move forward. It was a great heaviness, but I was shocked how much he had improved at night.

Inoue's 23rd professional victim, Paul Butler agrees that a weight north of 126 pounds could cause trouble for “the monster”. Butler had trouble doing his defeat in 2022 against the Japanese superstar, remaining in difficulty for the majority of the fight until he was taken and stopped in the 11th round inside the Tokyo Ariake.

“I think he can win a world title at Featherweight, but that will be all,” said “Baby Faced Assassin”. “The only way he loses is when he is completely disproportionate and overwhelmed by a fighter. But until then, I find it difficult to see how it is beaten.

“He is now with all the styles and he has beaten them all. He is not only a perforator – he has everything in his locker. You must have him match in each department, repel him and make him respect your power. The closest we have seen is non -ito of their first fight.”

Japan Naoya Inoue (L) fights against the Philippines & # 39; Nonito Donaire during their boxing unification match for rooster weights in Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on June 7, 2022. (Photo by Philip Fong / AFP) (Photo by Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images) — Nonito Donaire (right) did well against Naoya Inoue during their first fight. In their revenge? Not so much. (Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images)

(Philip Fong via Getty Images)

And the “Filipino Flash” learned a lot of the 14 laps he shared with Inoue in 2019 and 2022. Donaire lost a competitive decision against Inoue in the world of world boxing series of the rooster weight division before being blitz in five minutes in their revenge match.

“You have to make it rough-as I did during the first fight,” he said. “I tried to press the fight with my defense and a high guard in order to make it uncomfortable. East possible to beat him. You have to disturb his rhythm and understand his breaks and his models.

“I think that if you have a solid defense and good contrast, you have a good chance. But its power is undeniable. It has this punch that you are desperately trying to avoid getting hit – if you are not focused, you sleep.”

Marlon Tapals went to 37-4 after her hand defeat Inoue in December 2023 in Super Bantamweight, touching the canvas in the fourth round before stopping under pressure in the 10th. Inoue made a ruthless performance to add IBF and WBA belts of 122 pounds of tapal to his WBO and WBC titles, but the Philippin sees tactical adjustments that he could make if he wants to sign a revenge match.

“If we did it back, I should increase my defensive movements – especially with my head and my feet,” said tapals. “I looked at the fight back and I was quite stationary and easy to strike. Inoue is very difficult to beat, but perhaps with a defensive discipline, a clearer and a tight game plan, it can be done. ”

Cardenas is the next man on the Inoue treadmill this Sunday, and As seems the theme of the weekendwill try to explode the future plans of his opponent. (Naoya Inoue and Murodjon Akhmadaiev used the fighting week to sign a lucrative of wrestling of rooster weights in Tokyo, Japan, temporarily scheduled for September.)

But as the first punch inside the T-Mobile arena, Cardenas can quickly realize that even having a successful evening against Inoue does not necessarily mean winning.

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