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Former bantamweight champion Paul Butler says Naoya Inoue prefers to stay at 122 pounds rather than move up to featherweight due to the “great risk” of having to fight in that division instead of staying where he is there and no one is forcing him to fight.
Neri Veit reveals vulnerabilities
Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) had to retire to defeat Louis Nery (35-2, 27 KOs) by sixth-round knockout in a successful defense of his undisputed super bantamweight championship Monday night at the Tokyo Dome. in Japan.
The fight showed Inoue's vulnerability with his chin, which could be an easy target for him if he moves up to 126 pounds to face more talented fighters in that weight class. That's the real difference.
The super bantamweight division has limited fighters with minimal ability, but at four pounds, that's where the real class exists. It seems clear that Inoue doesn't want to risk fighting high-level fighters in the featherweight division; Consequently, he prefers to remain at super bantamweight, where it is safer.
Butler would like to see “The Monster” Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) move up to featherweight after winning the undisputed super bantamweight title in his previous fight, but Naoya knows “deep down” that it will be there differently. .
I think it's clear that the featherweight division will be VERY different for Inoue as he will have to face fighters who will not only potentially beat him, but will knock him out and dilute his star power. Obviously, staying where it's safe at super bantamweight is one way for Naoya to avoid such a dire outcome.
Butler: Inoue knows 'deep down'
“At the end of the day, size will win him, and that goes for Loma. You have such a view of greatness that eventually size will be a big part of the fight,” Paul Butler told Secondsout when talking about why Naoya Inoue won’t move up four pounds to featherweight to compete in the division.
Size would eventually catch up with Inoue if he moved up to 130 and 135, but NOT 126. Inoue is as big as featherweight champions Luis Alberto Lopez and Raymond Ford.
Inoue would clearly be too small for champions Rey Vargas and Rafael Espinosa. However, Inoue has defeated tall fighters like 5-foot-10 Jamie McDonnell before. So height shouldn't be an excuse for Inoue not moving up to 126 pounds.
Security vs Testing Limitations
“He knows deep down that size can play a role because that's why he stays at super bantamweight,” Butler said of Inoue. “He keeps all the belts there. What’s the point of taking a big risk and moving up to featherweight?”
The point is that if Inoue moves up to featherweight, his popularity will increase if he beats more talented fighters in that weight class rather than staying at super bantamweight and not having anyone to fight. That's the difference.
Tonight, Inoue brought his IBF 122 lb mandatory fighter Sam Goodman into the ring after his win over Nery to let fans know who he's going to fight in September. Unheralded Goodman, the powerless Australian fighter, is a complete unknown. Inoue won't be tested against this guy and this is another safe fight for the Japanese star.
This shows that Inoue lacks self-confidence because if he really thought he had the ability, he would have moved up to 126 to mingle with the sharks in this division.
Where are the problems?
“He doesn't have any real problems,” Butler said of Inoue not having anyone interested in fighting at super bantamweight if he decides to stay there. “I want to see him promoted and see the boundaries he can reach. It would be great to see him at featherweight.
“I thought he would move up to featherweight right after he became undisputed (at 122 pounds), but he obviously knows he's not big enough and probably isn't ready for featherweight,” Butler said of Inoue.
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