Carl Froch Says “Naz Could’ve Got Outboxed, But He Could’ve Absolutely Stretchered Him”
Talk about a fascinating addition to the mythical match up debate: “The Monster Vs. The Prince” – Naoya Inoue against Naseem Hamed. Prime for prime, who wins? This is the question Carl Froch and Spencer Oliver recently tried to answer on a Talk Sport Q & A. As we know, Hamed was at his best as a featherweight, but the Sheffield southpaw did win some significant fights down at 122 pounds, this the weight Inoue recently moved up to, winning two world title belts in his super-bantamweight debut.
So, do we assume the two men clash at 122 in this modern day Dream Fight, or do they collide up at 126 pounds? It’s a tough one to answer, this particular ‘who wins,’ as we have not yet seen Inoue fight at featherweight. As special as he has shown himself to be, Inoue may not be able to carry his speed and power up with him to 126, this to be the fifth weight he will campaign at should he make the move. And against the 1995 to 2000 version of Hamed, Inoue would have needed all his speed and power to have been able to win.
For what it’s worth, Froch kind of sits on the fence, seeing two possible scenarios, while Oliver said he picks Hamed to win this one.
“Naoya Inoue’s now gone up, he’s become a four-weight world champion, [he’s] up at super-bantamweight now. Naz was at feather. So it’s a difficult one to call, that, because can Inoue carry the weight and the power up?” Oliver said to Froch.
“It’s one of them, isn’t it? When you go prime versus prime, you can’t factor in that bomb that Naseem Hamed used to land. That massive uppercut. The power that he carried in both hands, explosive power,” Froch said. “So, yes, Naz could’ve got outboxed, but, yes, he could’ve absolutely stretchered him.”
“I’m going with ‘The Prince,’ I think he would have turned him over,” Oliver said. “I think Inoue is one of those pressure fighters, that comes forward, throws lot of punches, very heavy-handed, but he does come forward in straight lines and whatnot. I think ‘The Prince’ would have found the angles, and like you say, those uppercuts.”
“And a prime Naz wasn’t just a massive puncher, he was really skilful, and he was quick as well,” Froch added. “He had speed with that jab, he’d land that uppercut from awkward angles, with power. Such a nightmare to fight.”
Indeed, but Inoue is a nightmare himself. This is a very, very interesting Dream Fight, no doubt. Oliver may be doing Inoue an injustice when he says he “does come forward in straight line,” as Inoue is a far more cerebral fighter than that would suggest when it comes to how he sets up his attacks. But both Oliver and Froch do make some great points.
Who do YOU think would have won this one, prime versus prime – Hamed or Inoue?