Is the all-Japanese super fight that is Naoya Inoue Vs. Junto Nakatani being looked at as a much closer fight now, this due to Inoue’s age and due to the fact that “The Monster” got knocked down in his last fight? 32 year old Inoue, unbeaten at 30-0(27), looked vulnerable in the eyes of some in his recent fight with Mexican warrior Ramon Cardenas, mostly when he was dropped in the second round of a thrilling battle.
Now, Nakatani, who is aiming to fight and to defeat Inoue next year in what would perhaps be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history, says he must knock Inoue down and “make sure that he doesn’t get back up.”
Nakatani reacts to Inoue’s knockdown: “I was concerned”
Speaking with The Ring, southpaw Nakatani, who is currently 30-0(23) and is the reigning WBC bantamweight champion and will take on another fine Japanese fighter in Ryosuke Nishida, the reigning IBF bantamweight champion, on June 8, says he was worried when Cardenas decked Inoue.
“I was a little concerned, but after seeing the fight he had with [Luis] Nery I knew he was gonna get back up, that he wouldn’t just give up,” Nakatani said of Inoue. “He has the experience from getting knocked down and getting back up and winning a fight. That’s a credit to him. If I knock him down, I have to make sure that he doesn’t get back up.”
Can Inoue survive another scare before facing Nakatani?
Both Inoue and Nakatani can punch, but the two superb fighters also have fine boxing skills and a high ring IQ. This is why fans are expecting to see something very special if/when Inoue and Nakatani fight each other next year. There could be a real concern, though, that Inoue gets beaten beforehand. For sure, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who will challenge Inoue next, is a dangerous operator who can punch.
Hopefully, though, for the sake of all the fight fans around the world who really do want to see Inoue further test his greatness against Nakatani, both “The Monster” and “Big Bang,” as Nakatani is known, will remain unbeaten this year and then rumble next year.
Can 27 year old Nakatani, knock Inoue down, and if so can he keep him down? Is Inoue on the slide, if only a little bit?
