Inoue Fancied to Repeat as FOTY But Beterbiev, Usyk, Bam Have Strong Cases (First of Two Parts)
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 15 Nov 2024
This is the time of the year when we look back and review the performances of top fighters, especially world champions to determine who among them is deserving to be declared as the Fighter of the Year.
Part One: Top Pick: Naoya Inoue
Japanese Monster Naoya Inoue is fancied to repeat as Fighter of the Year this 2024 mainly on the strength of his better activity in compressing three fights, all against prominent opponents during the period.
Inoue is set for his third straight mandatory defense of his undisputed world super bantamweight crown against Australia's undefeated challenger Sam Goodman on Christmas Eve at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Barring a major, major upset, Inoue is favored to emerge victorious, either by knockout which we have grown familiar with every time his arm is raised by the referee, or at least by wide points decision should the Aussie managed to last on his feet at the end of 12 rounds.
Inoue's two previous mandatory challengers, Mexico's Luis Nery and UK's TJ Doheny, both ex titlists in the division, were not lucky as many others before them to hear the final bell.
Nery caused some tense moments at least among the partisan Japanese crowd - and perhaps in Inoue's corner - when he scored a rare early knockdown against Naoya in the second round of their fight at the same Ariake Arena in May. The knockdown only fired up Inoue and four rounds later, the referee Michael Griffin had to save the Mexican from Inoue's fury, resulting to another TKO win for the impetuous Japanese.
Four months later in September, Inoue took on Doheny, a former IBF titlist who is noted among Japanese fans for victimizing Japanese fighters on the way to and when he held the title. But the only danger to Inoue did not come from inside the ring. Rather it came in the form of a threat by the WBA to strip him of his belt for refusing to defend against former WBA-IBF champion Morudjon Akhmadaliev whose camp had threatened to sue the WBA. An arrangement was reached whereby the WBA would not sanction the defense against Doheny but got to retain him as world champion (Author's Note: Akhmadaliev will be fighting for the WBA interim title on December 14, 2024 as part of the deal).
In fairness, Doheny was able to pose problems to Naoya with his size. But nothing that Inoue had not seen before and it took him just one round longer to stop the Irish, securing a 7th round technical knockout victory, overall his 25th via the short route in 28 career wins thus far.
Naoya has not been taken the distance since Nonito Donaire last did it in losing a 12 round unanimous decision in their first world unification fight in 2019. Sam Goodman, if he endures in their bout this coming Christmas Eve would only be the second. But that's a big if.
Last year, Naoya fought only twice but those two fights won via stoppage against American Stephen Fulton and Filipino Marlon Tapales (who earlier had upset Akhmadaliev) made him undisputed world super bantamweight champion. Fresh from winning all major belts at bantamweight the previous year, Naoya took on the then undefeated WBC-WBO unified titlist and regarded as the lineal world champion Fulton in his first try at 122 lbs. His TKO of Fulton alone made him strong contender for the FOTY for 2023. The TKO victory over Tapales for the WBA-IBF titles clinched it for him.
Given that among the current active elite champions, Naoya is the only one to be fighting more than two world title bouts this year, he indeed has the edge to win again the Fighter of the Year honors.
Should he repeat, Inoue will join an exclusive elite list that includes Joe Frasier (1970-71), Muhammad Ali (1974-75), Evander Holfield (1995-96) and Manny Pacquiao (2008-2009).
But will he achieve it in the face of competition from Artur Beterbiev, Oleksander Usyk (Should Usyk repeats against Tyson Fury), and possibly Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez?
To be continued...
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.
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