[Boxing] Naoya Inoue vs TJ Doheny 122lb Title fight-September

[aioc]

Just relax, they are taking it slow but surely. Inoue's camp knows his value, so they don't want him to be careless and just fight anyone who challenges him. But you guys are right; he doesn't earn a lot, and that's a given since he is fighting in a lower division. Based on stats, the money is in the heavier divisions. For Inoue to earn bigger money, he has to continue moving up and beating the champions, which I don't think is impossible to happen. With Inoue's gift as a boxer, he can move up and still dominate. His enemy is only his own limitations, but currently, he is at a comfortable weight, so he might need to fight in more weight classes to reach his limitation.

Its ok to do that some champions takes years to move up to a higher weight division, but when people saw that you are lacking quality opponents and you have the potential to conquer higher weight divisions then you have to take actions, Inoue is a complete fighter already he just need challenges if he is bidding his time then time will caught with him.

People wants to see him moving to the featherweight division and they are hoping that he face Tank Davis in a catch weight if he wants legacy he'll do what Pacquiao did moving to territories where there are a lot of challenges.

[Viscore]

Just relax, they are taking it slow but surely. Inoue's camp knows his value, so they don't want him to be careless and just fight anyone who challenges him. But you guys are right; he doesn't earn a lot, and that's a given since he is fighting in a lower division. Based on stats, the money is in the heavier divisions. For Inoue to earn bigger money, he has to continue moving up and beating the champions, which I don't think is impossible to happen. With Inoue's gift as a boxer, he can move up and still dominate. His enemy is only his own limitations, but currently, he is at a comfortable weight, so he might need to fight in more weight classes to reach his limitation.

Its ok to do that some champions takes years to move up to a higher weight division, but when people saw that you are lacking quality opponents and you have the potential to conquer higher weight divisions then you have to take actions, Inoue is a complete fighter already he just need challenges if he is bidding his time then time will caught with him.

People wants to see him moving to the featherweight division and they are hoping that he face Tank Davis in a catch weight if he wants legacy he'll do what Pacquiao did moving to territories where there are a lot of challenges.

This is what is happening with Inoue. Thank you for bringing that up, and I can see that you are really following him as a boxer. Yes, the quality of opponents has been a problem for Inoue as he easily dominates anyone he fights, whether it's a champion or a challenger—the result is the same. That's why I would like to see him fight Casimero, as he is the only boxer I believe could give him a real challenge, but it seems that's not going to happen.

Moving up will excite the fans as Inoue will be on another quest to win the championship and become an undisputed champion. I hope it will happen soon, as we are getting tired of watching one-sided fights.

[bisdak40]

Its ok to do that some champions takes years to move up to a higher weight division, but when people saw that you are lacking quality opponents and you have the potential to conquer higher weight divisions then you have to take actions, Inoue is a complete fighter already he just need challenges if he is bidding his time then time will caught with him.

People wants to see him moving to the featherweight division and they are hoping that he face Tank Davis in a catch weight if he wants legacy he'll do what Pacquiao did moving to territories where there are a lot of challenges.

It seems to me that Inoue and Top Rank are playing safe as they threw unworthy opponents in front of Inoue while the latter's move of not fighting in Las Vegas drew criticism from fight fans that he afraid of losing. If Inoue wants to follow the footstep of Manny Pacquaio then he should fight the best there is like Tank Davis or the other champions in the featherweight division and not rely on mandatory fights as the result is very obvious.

[Jating]

Its ok to do that some champions takes years to move up to a higher weight division, but when people saw that you are lacking quality opponents and you have the potential to conquer higher weight divisions then you have to take actions, Inoue is a complete fighter already he just need challenges if he is bidding his time then time will caught with him.

People wants to see him moving to the featherweight division and they are hoping that he face Tank Davis in a catch weight if he wants legacy he'll do what Pacquiao did moving to territories where there are a lot of challenges.

It seems to me that Inoue and Top Rank are playing safe as they threw unworthy opponents in front of Inoue while the latter's move of not fighting in Las Vegas drew criticism from fight fans that he afraid of losing. If Inoue wants to follow the footstep of Manny Pacquaio then he should fight the best there is like Tank Davis or the other champions in the featherweight division and not rely on mandatory fights as the result is very obvious.

Yeah, I think Inoue could have requested from Top Rank that maybe he wanted to face a fighter that might not be a threat for him for all we know and that's why Top Rank give him TJ, but the fight is still going to be held in Japan, Lol. But perhaps casual fans might not know that sometimes fighters want to have a easy fight for them specially with the likes of Inoue really fighting hard in the last couple of years.

As for him getting into the league of Manny, not going to happen if he fights in the Japan and not in United States. Manny build up his career and resume fighting Mexicans in the US, not fighting them in his Philippines although he had some fights in this country to defend his belt. But with bigger names, they are all in the US, Las Vegas, Texas and other places that's why he had built his following and charisma because he didn't back down from challenges.

[FinneysTrueVision]

It seems to me that Inoue and Top Rank are playing safe as they threw unworthy opponents in front of Inoue while the latter's move of not fighting in Las Vegas drew criticism from fight fans that he afraid of losing. If Inoue wants to follow the footstep of Manny Pacquaio then he should fight the best there is like Tank Davis or the other champions in the featherweight division and not rely on mandatory fights as the result is very obvious.

Tank Davis is three weight classes higher than Inoue. That fight isn’t going to happen anytime soon, unless there is a catchweight, which I can’t see Tank agreeing to. Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have fought mostly in the UK and only go to other countries when there is an opportunity to make more money. Inoue is in the same situation. He is fighting where he can earn the most.

Inoue is currently in the top 3 of most pound for pound lists. There isn’t going to be many fighters close to his weight that can surpass his popularity or accomplishments and make him fight outside of his home.

[bisdak40]

It seems to me that Inoue and Top Rank are playing safe as they threw unworthy opponents in front of Inoue while the latter's move of not fighting in Las Vegas drew criticism from fight fans that he afraid of losing. If Inoue wants to follow the footstep of Manny Pacquaio then he should fight the best there is like Tank Davis or the other champions in the featherweight division and not rely on mandatory fights as the result is very obvious.

Tank Davis is three weight classes higher than Inoue. That fight isn’t going to happen anytime soon, unless there is a catchweight, which I can’t see Tank agreeing to. Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have fought mostly in the UK and only go to other countries when there is an opportunity to make more money. Inoue is in the same situation. He is fighting where he can earn the most.

Inoue is currently in the top 3 of most pound for pound lists. There isn’t going to be many fighters close to his weight that can surpass his popularity or accomplishments and make him fight outside of his home.

Yeah, Inoue vs Davis won't happen unless there's a catchweight as Davis is too strong and big for the Japanese Monster. About Inoue fighting inside Japan for most of his career, i think they do it on purpose as he still earned more than fighting outside and yup, why fight outside when the money involved in fighting inside is bigger but some fight fans (maybe the number is small) are disappointed with this move.

[TravelMug]

It seems to me that Inoue and Top Rank are playing safe as they threw unworthy opponents in front of Inoue while the latter's move of not fighting in Las Vegas drew criticism from fight fans that he afraid of losing. If Inoue wants to follow the footstep of Manny Pacquaio then he should fight the best there is like Tank Davis or the other champions in the featherweight division and not rely on mandatory fights as the result is very obvious.

Tank Davis is three weight classes higher than Inoue. That fight isn’t going to happen anytime soon, unless there is a catchweight, which I can’t see Tank agreeing to. Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have fought mostly in the UK and only go to other countries when there is an opportunity to make more money. Inoue is in the same situation. He is fighting where he can earn the most.

Inoue is currently in the top 3 of most pound for pound lists. There isn’t going to be many fighters close to his weight that can surpass his popularity or accomplishments and make him fight outside of his home.

Yeah, Inoue vs Davis won't happen unless there's a catchweight as Davis is too strong and big for the Japanese Monster. About Inoue fighting inside Japan for most of his career, i think they do it on purpose as he still earned more than fighting outside and yup, why fight outside when the money involved in fighting inside is bigger but some fight fans (maybe the number is small) are disappointed with this move.

Davis is obviously the natural bigger fighter, but if there will be a catch up, I don't think that he will go down to let's say at 132 lbs just to entertained this fight. He said already that he is not that interested on fighting Inoue though.

And we haven't seen Inoue to 126 lbs and if he can carry his power although we believed that he will. But still though, he might be smaller at 126 lbs as there are a lot of bigger and natural featherweight that might give him a hard time. So what's more with a bigger puncher like Tank Davis.

[stadus]

Davis is obviously the natural bigger fighter, but if there will be a catch up, I don't think that he will go down to let's say at 132 lbs just to entertained this fight. He said already that he is not that interested on fighting Inoue though.

And we haven't seen Inoue to 126 lbs and if he can carry his power although we believed that he will. But still though, he might be smaller at 126 lbs as there are a lot of bigger and natural featherweight that might give him a hard time. So what's more with a bigger puncher like Tank Davis.

That time will come if Inoue continues to move up. He does have to make sure that his last fight in the super bantamweight is impactful and then move up after that. Eventually, as Inoue feels he can carry his power and is backed by consistent wins, I think he will try to push his limit and move up again. Maybe one day he'll be able to fight Davis, which would be the biggest fight of his career. For now, it's just all rumors since Inoue isn't careless in making decisions. His camp ensures that once he moves up, he will still be a dominant fighter. So, for now, let's just hope he'll start to move and see from there.

[Natalim]

Maybe one day he'll be able to fight Davis, which would be the biggest fight of his career. For now, it's just all rumors since Inoue isn't careless in making decisions. His camp ensures that once he moves up, he will still be a dominant fighter. So, for now, let's just hope he'll start to move and see from there.

That's what I want to see as well, but knowing Inoue, he stays long in a certain weight class. If he moves up, he wouldn't consider moving up to a new division until he becomes an undisputed champion. I think it's just right for them to fight at a catch weight, even if there’s no belt at risk. It would be a way to show the fans who the better fighter really is.

Even without a belt on the line, I'm sure Inoue will make the biggest paycheck of his career, probably even surpassing his current net worth with what he could potentially make if that fight happens.

[Kemarit]

Maybe one day he'll be able to fight Davis, which would be the biggest fight of his career. For now, it's just all rumors since Inoue isn't careless in making decisions. His camp ensures that once he moves up, he will still be a dominant fighter. So, for now, let's just hope he'll start to move and see from there.

That's what I want to see as well, but knowing Inoue, he stays long in a certain weight class. If he moves up, he wouldn't consider moving up to a new division until he becomes an undisputed champion. I think it's just right for them to fight at a catch weight, even if there’s no belt at risk. It would be a way to show the fans who the better fighter really is.

Even without a belt on the line, I'm sure Inoue will make the biggest paycheck of his career, probably even surpassing his current net worth with what he could potentially make if that fight happens.

The thing with Davis is that he doesn't think that Inoue can make at least to 130 lbs, and so this fight might not happen. Unless we see Inoue going to 126 lbs and still continue to destroy his opponents and knocking them down like in the bantam and super bantam weight.

He is naturally small in my opinion, it's not like he has a build similar to Manny Pacquiao. Manny's calves alone is so huge that he can go as high as 154 lbs and bring his career to that level. And Inoue if I'm not mistaken is already in his 30's so very little time for him and Davis to fight. But the thing is that he clearly wanted to go as high as featherweight so we will see if he can accomplished maybe next year.

[Yaunfitda]

Maybe one day he'll be able to fight Davis, which would be the biggest fight of his career. For now, it's just all rumors since Inoue isn't careless in making decisions. His camp ensures that once he moves up, he will still be a dominant fighter. So, for now, let's just hope he'll start to move and see from there.

That's what I want to see as well, but knowing Inoue, he stays long in a certain weight class. If he moves up, he wouldn't consider moving up to a new division until he becomes an undisputed champion. I think it's just right for them to fight at a catch weight, even if there’s no belt at risk. It would be a way to show the fans who the better fighter really is.

Even without a belt on the line, I'm sure Inoue will make the biggest paycheck of his career, probably even surpassing his current net worth with what he could potentially make if that fight happens.

The thing with Davis is that he doesn't think that Inoue can make at least to 130 lbs, and so this fight might not happen. Unless we see Inoue going to 126 lbs and still continue to destroy his opponents and knocking them down like in the bantam and super bantam weight.

I don't know how Davis come up with that though, but if Inoue can go to 126 lbs as reported, then that is just 4 lbs shy of 130 lbs so it's doable unless Inoue doesn't want to move up to that weight class to fight Davis.

He is naturally small in my opinion, it's not like he has a build similar to Manny Pacquiao. Manny's calves alone is so huge that he can go as high as 154 lbs and bring his career to that level. And Inoue if I'm not mistaken is already in his 30's so very little time for him and Davis to fight. But the thing is that he clearly wanted to go as high as featherweight so we will see if he can accomplished maybe next year.

Taking aside the comparison on Pacquiao, for me, I'm seeing that Inoue can really go up in weight class. It's really the question of if he is willing to do that or just be comfortable at fighting as his weight class. We have seen him being comfortable fighting in Japan. And as much as we want to see him go to USA to show his talent, he doesn't want to take that risk and with that kind of mindset, it's only be the factor that we will not see him go as high as 130 lbs.

[TravelMug]

Davis is obviously the natural bigger fighter, but if there will be a catch up, I don't think that he will go down to let's say at 132 lbs just to entertained this fight. He said already that he is not that interested on fighting Inoue though.

And we haven't seen Inoue to 126 lbs and if he can carry his power although we believed that he will. But still though, he might be smaller at 126 lbs as there are a lot of bigger and natural featherweight that might give him a hard time. So what's more with a bigger puncher like Tank Davis.

That time will come if Inoue continues to move up. He does have to make sure that his last fight in the super bantamweight is impactful and then move up after that. Eventually, as Inoue feels he can carry his power and is backed by consistent wins, I think he will try to push his limit and move up again. Maybe one day he'll be able to fight Davis, which would be the biggest fight of his career. For now, it's just all rumors since Inoue isn't careless in making decisions. His camp ensures that once he moves up, he will still be a dominant fighter. So, for now, let's just hope he'll start to move and see from there.

From what we have heard so far, he will go up in the featherweight division of 126 lbs. But we don't know if he will continue to go and challenge the 130 lbs weight class as it is really bigger guys there. Even at 126 lbs, there are naturally bigger than him, unless he bulk up a bit and have muscle but it might slow him for good and he might not carry his power to that division.

So after this fight, it could be a very different outlook for him moving up to a new division wherein the champions are natural and they are taller. So they have all the physical attributes that Inoue hasn't seen before in his career so it will be a big challenge for him.

[bbc.reporter]

Its ok to do that some champions takes years to move up to a higher weight division, but when people saw that you are lacking quality opponents and you have the potential to conquer higher weight divisions then you have to take actions, Inoue is a complete fighter already he just need challenges if he is bidding his time then time will caught with him.

People wants to see him moving to the featherweight division and they are hoping that he face Tank Davis in a catch weight if he wants legacy he'll do what Pacquiao did moving to territories where there are a lot of challenges.

It seems to me that Inoue and Top Rank are playing safe as they threw unworthy opponents in front of Inoue while the latter's move of not fighting in Las Vegas drew criticism from fight fans that he afraid of losing. If Inoue wants to follow the footstep of Manny Pacquaio then he should fight the best there is like Tank Davis or the other champions in the featherweight division and not rely on mandatory fights as the result is very obvious.

I also argued on something similar. However, on his present weight division, no one can offer Inoue anything that will pump his popularity to become a main event in Las Vegas. I speculate that this might be Brandon Figueroa if he has the unified championships in the featherweight division. Top Rank can promote the fight in Las Vegas with Figueroa as unified featherweight championship and Inoue as the challenger. If Inoue has the victory, this will certainly cause other famous boxers like the scammer Tank and Shakur consider if they can fight him in catchweight heheheheheh.

[Maslate]

I also argued on something similar. However, on his present weight division, no one can offer Inoue anything that will pump his popularity to become a main event in Las Vegas. I speculate that this might be Brandon Figueroa if he has the unified championships in the featherweight division. Top Rank can promote the fight in Las Vegas with Figueroa as unified featherweight championship and Inoue as the challenger. If Inoue has the victory, this will certainly cause other famous boxers like the scammer Tank and Shakur consider if they can fight him in catchweight heheheheheh.

This isn't hard to happen if Inoue finally moves up. I don't understand what keeps him in the current division when he already knows that no one can match his power and speed. He should bring his skills to the heavier weight class and challenge the champion. That way, his popularity will boost as I'm pretty sure he can still dominate like he did in his current division.

Inoue is now very popular in Japan, but internationally, he is not one of the more popular boxers. So, I guess it's now time for him to let Bob do the job by taking his fights to the USA, where a bigger market is waiting for him. Of course, that would translate to bigger money.

[bisdak40]

Inoue is now very popular in Japan, but internationally, he is not one of the more popular boxers. So, I guess it's now time for him to let Bob do the job by taking his fights to the USA, where a bigger market is waiting for him. Of course, that would translate to bigger money.

It is ironic to know that Inoue being on the top of the list on the pound for pound rankings is not so popular in the US, especially in Las Vegas. Inoue is not getting any younger so i hope that Top Rank would do its job on promoting Inoue in the US.

But as what @bbc.reporter have said that there is not much opposition for Inoue to pump up his popularity in the super bantamweight division, i think they need to jump again this time to the featherweight and fight Brandon Figueroa and if successful i think his popularity will go up.

[Viscore]

Inoue is now very popular in Japan, but internationally, he is not one of the more popular boxers. So, I guess it's now time for him to let Bob do the job by taking his fights to the USA, where a bigger market is waiting for him. Of course, that would translate to bigger money.

It is ironic to know that Inoue being on the top of the list on the pound for pound rankings is not so popular in the US, especially in Las Vegas. Inoue is not getting any younger so i hope that Top Rank would do its job on promoting Inoue in the US.

But as what @bbc.reporter have said that there is not much opposition for Inoue to pump up his popularity in the super bantamweight division, i think they need to jump again this time to the featherweight and fight Brandon Figueroa and if successful i think his popularity will go up.

The best thing to do for Inoue is to move up in weight. He has already proven to be the king in the lower division, so moving up might give him a little challenge. Yes, just a little challenge, as I'm confident that Inoue could still beat Figueroa and other champions in the said division. Time is his enemy here. There is a belief that Inoue is going to be the next Pacquiao, but that won't happen if he doesn't follow in Manny's footsteps by moving up and challenging bigger opponents. Or perhaps Inoue doesn't have the same mindset in terms of taking on such challenges?

[Kemarit]

Inoue is now very popular in Japan, but internationally, he is not one of the more popular boxers. So, I guess it's now time for him to let Bob do the job by taking his fights to the USA, where a bigger market is waiting for him. Of course, that would translate to bigger money.

It is ironic to know that Inoue being on the top of the list on the pound for pound rankings is not so popular in the US, especially in Las Vegas. Inoue is not getting any younger so i hope that Top Rank would do its job on promoting Inoue in the US.

But as what @bbc.reporter have said that there is not much opposition for Inoue to pump up his popularity in the super bantamweight division, i think they need to jump again this time to the featherweight and fight Brandon Figueroa and if successful i think his popularity will go up.

I think there's a lot of good champion at featherweight, it could be Brandon Figueroa or Rey Vargas, this guy are very tall for Inoue and so it might give him a problem. I don't have a problem with the pound for pound list, but it's subjective though, this month it could be Usyk, but then it might change and we will see Inoue, so it's dynamic and not reliable source on how good a boxer is.

And Inoue to be known, he really needs go get out of his comfort zone and really fight in the US. Hopefully, Bob Arum will have to really push Inoue to go to Stateside and fight the best 126 lbs as most of them are really base on the US.

[bbc.reporter]

I also argued on something similar. However, on his present weight division, no one can offer Inoue anything that will pump his popularity to become a main event in Las Vegas. I speculate that this might be Brandon Figueroa if he has the unified championships in the featherweight division. Top Rank can promote the fight in Las Vegas with Figueroa as unified featherweight championship and Inoue as the challenger. If Inoue has the victory, this will certainly cause other famous boxers like the scammer Tank and Shakur consider if they can fight him in catchweight heheheheheh.

This isn't hard to happen if Inoue finally moves up. I don't understand what keeps him in the current division when he already knows that no one can match his power and speed. He should bring his skills to the heavier weight class and challenge the champion. That way, his popularity will boost as I'm pretty sure he can still dominate like he did in his current division.

Inoue is now very popular in Japan, but internationally, he is not one of the more popular boxers. So, I guess it's now time for him to let Bob do the job by taking his fights to the USA, where a bigger market is waiting for him. Of course, that would translate to bigger money.

I disagree. It will be difficult for Inoue because there are 4 different champions in featherweight and Brandon Figueroa is only an interim champion. Maybe if Figueroa becomes the real champion and get the WBC championship, Inoue might gather more popularity if he think he can knockout the tough Mexican. This will be very much similar when Pacman won with a corner stoppage against Marco Antonio Barrera. Good Mexican boxers are very much loved in Las Vegas and if you can win with a stoppage or a knockout, you certainly win many fans. After this, Inoue can unify the featherweight championships. All if them in Las Vegas hehehehe.

[TravelMug]

I also argued on something similar. However, on his present weight division, no one can offer Inoue anything that will pump his popularity to become a main event in Las Vegas. I speculate that this might be Brandon Figueroa if he has the unified championships in the featherweight division. Top Rank can promote the fight in Las Vegas with Figueroa as unified featherweight championship and Inoue as the challenger. If Inoue has the victory, this will certainly cause other famous boxers like the scammer Tank and Shakur consider if they can fight him in catchweight heheheheheh.

This isn't hard to happen if Inoue finally moves up. I don't understand what keeps him in the current division when he already knows that no one can match his power and speed. He should bring his skills to the heavier weight class and challenge the champion. That way, his popularity will boost as I'm pretty sure he can still dominate like he did in his current division.

Inoue is now very popular in Japan, but internationally, he is not one of the more popular boxers. So, I guess it's now time for him to let Bob do the job by taking his fights to the USA, where a bigger market is waiting for him. Of course, that would translate to bigger money.

I disagree. It will be difficult for Inoue because there are 4 different champions in featherweight and Brandon Figueroa is only an interim champion. Maybe if Figueroa becomes the real champion and get the WBC championship, Inoue might gather more popularity if he think he can knockout the tough Mexican. This will be very much similar when Pacman won with a corner stoppage against Marco Antonio Barrera. Good Mexican boxers are very much loved in Las Vegas and if you can win with a stoppage or a knockout, you certainly win many fans. After this, Inoue can unify the featherweight championships. All if them in Las Vegas hehehehe.

You are right, I check the current champions and Figueroa is not there, it is,

Rey Vargas - WBC
Nick Ball - WBA
Luis Alberto Lopez - IBF
Rafael Espinoza - WBO

So with that list, no need for Brandon for now, he should target Vargas, a taller feather, or the rest, who is build like a natural 126 lbs. But we want to see Inoue at least fight in the US, maybe 1 fight a year is not that bad for him to travel so that the Americans can appreciate his talent.

[bbc.reporter]

@TravelMug. However, these champions in the featherweight division cannot offer anything for Naoya Inoue. They cannot offer more money than the money he is earning in Japan and these champions are not big names with much fans hehehee.

In any case, the WBC has ordered their champion and interim champion to fight. Let us wish that this is a victory for Figueroa with knockout!



WBC orders Rey Vargas vs Brandon Figueroa title consolidation

In a long, long overdue move, Lance Pugmire reports that the WBC has finally ordered featherweight champion Rey Vargas to defend his title against interim champ Brandon Figueroa.

Less than a month after Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KO) unsuccessfully challenged O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant super featherweight title, Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KO) overpowered Mark Magsayo for the interim belt last March. Rather than do the obvious thing and just have them duke it out right away, the WBC allowed Vargas to sit out for another year before sticking, moving, holding, and flopping his way to a draw with Nick Ball.

Two months after that, Figueroa ended his own layoff by flattening Jessie Magdaleno to cap off what was, to that point, a rather underwhelming performance.

Source https://www.badlefthook.com/2024/6/6/24173222/wbc-orders-rey-vargas-vs-brandon-figueroa-title-consolidation-boxing-news-2024