As soon as this fight was mentioned as being a possibility, plenty of fans screamed mismatch. Bantamweight “Monster” Naoya Inoue will face little-known Thai fighter Aran Dipaen in Tokyo on December 14th.
The fight is really of note only because it will mark Inoue’s first fight at home since 2019. Inoue, 21-0(18) and the reigning WBA/IBF champ, will get a chance to showcase his power before his adoring audience, for however long the fight lasts. And this one doesn’t look like lasting too long at all.
Dipaen, 12-2(11) and somehow ranked #6 by the IBF, has beaten just THREE men who had a winning record. Dipaen, who is 30 years of age, has never been stopped but he has never faced anyone anywhere close to Inoue’s level.
Looking at Dipaen’s record, there is no obvious fighter of note on there; with Britain’s Tommy Frank, who decisioned Dipaen in Sheffield, England back in September of 2019, probably being his most high-profile opponent. Last time out, in March, Dipaen stopped the 26-11 Sukpraserd Ponpitak to take the IBF pan pacific bantamweight strap.
Not too long before that, Dipaen was fighting down at super-flyweight. So not only is Dipaen smaller than Inoue, not only has he fought no-one approaching Inoue’s class, but Dipaen will also be having his first fight in Japan. It’s fair to say Dipaen looks utterly doomed. In fact, some writers have expressed their view that the IBF should be soundly ashamed of themselves for sanctioning this fight.
Inoue, one of the best fighters in the world pound-for-pound, should not be wasting his time with meaningless fights like this one. Yes, plenty of the top bantamweights are busy right about now and Inoue does want to get a second fight in before the end of the year (he was last seen taking out Michael Dasmarinas inside three rounds in June; this fight also a mismatch, though not as blatant a mismatch as the upcoming fight) – but surely there could have been another, more solid opponent to be found?
This fight will do incredibly well to last more than a round. Inoue, who has lodged three first-round KO wins during his pro career, may well see that number improve to four come December 14th. But what will it prove? Above all, let’s hope Dipaen does not get badly hurt in the fight. You know it’s a mismatch when you have to write such words.
28-year-old Inoue hasn’t done much at all here in 2021 and he deserves a far bigger 2022. As do his fans