Bob Arum, a boxing promoter with almost 60 years of experience, has named Naoya Inoue as the best fighter he's ever promoted. This places Inoue above legendary names like Muhammad Ali and Manny Pacquiao in Arum's estimation.
Arum's career in boxing promotion started in the 1960s. He promoted his first world title fight in 1966 when Muhammad Ali faced George Chuvalo. Since then, he's been involved in about 500 world title fights and has worked with some of the biggest names in boxing history.
In a recent interview with Jay McAllister, Arum made a bold statement about Inoue:
"Inoue is not only pound-for-pound the best in the world, Inoue is the best fighter I've ever seen. The best I've ever seen – no matter what weight category, or anything, I have never ever seen in the almost sixty years I've been in boxing seen anything like Inoue."
This praise comes from a man who has promoted Ali, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Shakur Stevenson, Terence Crawford, Tyson Fury, and Vasiliy Lomachenko, among others.
Inoue's achievements back up Arum's high opinion. He's an undefeated four-weight world champion with a knockout ratio of 90%. He's currently the undisputed super-bantamweight champion and one of only three fighters in the four-belt era to become undisputed champion in two weight classes.
In his recent fights, Inoue has knocked out Luis Nery and TJ Doheny, both while defending his undisputed super-bantamweight title. His next fight will be against Sam Goodman on December 24, 2024, at the Ariake Arena in Koto-Ku. This will be Inoue's third defense of his undisputed super-bantamweight title, and Arum will promote the event.
Inoue's standing in boxing is further highlighted by his position at the top of most pound-for-pound lists, alongside fighters like Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk. Crawford and Usyk are also four-belt era two-weight undisputed champions, putting them in the same elite company as Inoue.
Arum's endorsement of Inoue as the best he's ever seen is a testament to the Japanese fighter's incredible skills and achievements. It will be interesting to see how Inoue continues to build on his already impressive legacy in the coming years.
