Shall We See The Same Monster Inoue Again?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 12 Nov 2019
After going to hell and back in that fight of the year with Nonito Donaire recently, shall we see the same Monster Naoya Inoue again?
Boxing history is replete with cases of fighters toting killer images and credentials who went into crucial defining physical and brutal battles as decided favorites and though emerging winners, were never the same fighters that they were before, mostly for the worse.
Smokin Joe Frazier in his first fight against the comebacking and already aging Muhammad Ali in March 1971, though he won by decision to retain the heavyweight title, he was so physically damaged that he spent the night in a hospital and so psychologically drained he did not fight for the rest of that year. The following year, George Foreman knocked him down six times to force a stoppage and wrest his heavyweight crown.
Another is Hector 'Macho' Camacho who was a whirlwind dervish when he devastated the ranks in the 130 lbs class and even when he moved up to 135 lbs until he ran smack into fellow boricua Edwin 'El Chapo' Rosario against whom he survived a knockdown and many scary moments to win on points. But he was never the same Macho Man again. The effect was as much as physical as psychological.
Yet another is boricua knockout sensation Wilfredo Gomez who laid to waste many Mexican legendary bantams as Alfonso Zamora and Carlos Zarate until he ran into the nail tough Guadalupe Pintor who forced him into a war of attrition in their fight which he eventually won by 14th round stoppage. He was never the same Dinamita again as Salvador Sanchez showed in brutally stopping him in his next bout.
Though he eventually won the fight, Naoya Inoue was badly punished by Nonito Donaire during the WBSS final and IBF/WBA bantanweight unification bout in Saitama, Japan last week.
After 12 highly physical rounds with Donaire, Inoue was found to have suffered orbital bone fracture in his right eye and a broken nose.
It was a credit to his courage that he not only survived but overcame those injuries even waging a strong comeback to score a crucial knockdown and win by unanimous decision.
It was undeniably a character defining fight and win for the Japanese in his less 20 fights.
His corner should be commended too for preventing those injuries from getting any worse. What wonder of sports science and medicine did they apply in tidying a bloodied and bruised Inoue after every round such that those injuries were not even apparent at the end of the fight?
The effects and scars of physical injuries could be masked and Inoue could well recover from those in time. But what about the psychological scars and effects of that hell of a fight he went through against Donaire?
And what the pressure of being now hailed as among the premier elite fighters in the world and possibly billed as the top pound for pound fighter on the planet will have on the still young and yet to fully mature Naoya?
Having signed up with Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotion, there is also that possibility of Naoya fighting again in the United States.
He has fought in California before but against an Antonio Nieves whom he disposed off in no time. He has also seen action in Glasgow where he destroyed Emmanuel Rodriguez in the WBSS semifinals but both of them were visiting fighters. What will his mindset and comportment be in a real major fight set in the acknowledged world's boxing mecca?
I am very keen to know once Naoya steps up in the ring again.
Against whom, is another question.
One possibility is an IBF title defense against Filipino mandatory challenger Michael Dasmarinas first before considering another unification against WBC titlist Frenchman Nordine Oubali or WBO ruler Zolani Tete should the rangy South African succeed in his title defense versus another Pinoy, Johnriel Casimero later this month.
And there's the defrocked undefeated WBC kingpin Luis Nery who broke Japanese hold of the premier bantamweight title with two crushing but controversial stoppage wins over the now retired Shinsuke Yamanaka some years back.
But with Oubali decisively beating Naoya's younger brother in the Saitama main support bout to retain his WBC crown, there may be greater demand and pressure to make that fight as soon as possible.
Where and when depends on Naoya and Top Rank.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Suslenkov knocks out Mann to headline explosive IBA Pro 16 night in Serpukhov
Sat, 18 Apr 2026AJ Manas off to a hot start in Indonesia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Camila Zamorano WBC female champion health update
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sat, 18 Apr 2026PH Athletics team shines in the 2026 Singapore Open Track and Field Championships
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE RODRIGUEZ CHALLENGES ANTONIO VARGAS FOR WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE IN GLENDALE ON JUNE 13
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND PHOTOS FROM SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS - TOMORROW, APRIL 18 AT FRONTWAVE ARENA IN OCEANSIDE, CALIF.
Sat, 18 Apr 2026OFFICIAL ‘REVOLUTION’ WEIGHTS FROM CORK, IRELAND
Sat, 18 Apr 2026MIKHAIL GRIGORYAN DEFEATS JEO SANTISIMA, CROWNED NEW IBF ASIA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION IN SERPUKHOV
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Ra’eese Aleem Vows Victory Over Angelo Leo Ahead of May 9th IBF Title Fight in Atlanta
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WCM Nika Juris Nicolas 10th in Serbia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ PENS LONG TERM EXTENSION WITH EDDIE HEARN AND MATCHROOM
Sat, 18 Apr 2026Hermie Rivera: A Fil-Am Original
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Fri, 17 Apr 2026LIVERPOOL FIGHT NIGHT: OFFICIAL WEIGHTS AS BEN WHITTAKER TAKES ON BRAIAN SUAREZ – LIVE ON DAZN
Fri, 17 Apr 2026Lerasan to fight for WBO Asian Pacific bantam title
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026Fuentes is now ready to fight in Juego Todo
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026