Naoya Inoue: Ring magazine's pound-for-pound king, but does his record stand? – Boxing News 24

Naoya Inoue has become Ring Magazine's new independent weight king, beating out Terence Crawford for the top spot.

Ring Magazine's decision to select undisputed heavyweight champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) over Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk and Canelo Alvarez is questionable as Inoue's wins have not been against top-ranked opponents in the last five years.

What's more, Inoue has conveniently stayed at super bantamweight where it's safe to do so, avoiding a move up to 126 that teams up with the killer sharks that could tear Naoya to pieces. Is Inou afraid of real challenges?

Who did Naoya Inoue really beat?

For example, Inoue's last win came against Luis Nery, a fighter who was recently knocked out by Brandon Figueroa. Inoue hasn't exactly had the best results.

Many of the 31-year-old Inoue's victories have come against similarly flawed opponents, and he has decided not to move up to featherweight, where he will face many talented fighters who could beat him.

Opposition to Inouye since 2019

— Louis Neri
—Marlon Tapales
— Stephen Fulton
— Paul Butler
– Nonito Donaire: *Respect your elders, but this man was 40.
— Aran Dipaen
— Michael Dasmariñas
— Jason Moloney
— Emmanuel Rodriguez
— Nonito Donaire

These lists are obviously subjective, but it seems that the people who compile them do not take into account the level of opposition. They were like, “Oh, Inoue looked great.” Let’s put him first,” but using critical thinking and taking a close look at who Inoue actually beat.

Inoue is a good fighter, but he hasn't fought the same caliber of opponents as Crawford, Canelo, Usyk and Dmitry Bivol.

Ring Magazine's updated list is a joke, right?

1. Naoya Inoue
2. Terence Crawford
3. Alexander Usik
4. Canelo Alvarez
5. Artur Beterbiev
6. Dmitry Bivol
7. Errol Spence
8. Gervonta Davis
9. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
10. Junto Nakatani

“The fact that he got knocked down and the way he came back. He was reckless in the first round, looking for big shots, throwing himself across the ring to try to get an easy finish,” Gareth A. Davis told Sport Boxing when talking about Naoya Inoue in his fight against Louis Nery.

“The way he was able to spread his power across these divisions and knock out opponents is amazing. When Louis Nery beat him in the first round, you thought, “Wow, this is incredible.” Slowly and surely, he tore down and cut down the tree in front of him.

“He and Terence Crawford are the only men to have won undisputed titles in two weight classes and Usyk could join them if he beats Fury. For me he finished number 1. He is a secret for the sports world, but not a secret for the boxing world. Everyone knows what Tiger Woods is like, and this guy is almost on the same level,” Gareth said of Inoue not being well known among non-boxing fans in the US.