Bob Arum, the legendary boxing promoter, has called Naoya Inoue the best fighter he's ever seen. That's a big deal coming from someone who's been in the boxing business for almost 60 years.
Arum, who's 93 years old, has worked with some of the biggest names in boxing. He started out in the 1960s and set up Top Rank in 1973. Over the years, he's promoted fighters like Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Thomas Hearns, and Manny Pacquiao. He's even co-promoted Tyson Fury, helping him win the WBC heavyweight championship in 2020.
But it's Inoue who's caught Arum's eye. In an interview with Jai McAllister, Arum didn't hold back his praise:
"Inoue is not only pound-for-pound the best in the world, Inoue is the best fighter I've ever seen, no matter what weight category or anything. I have never ever in the almost 60-years I've been in boxing seen anything like Inoue."
Inoue, nicknamed "The Monster", has an impressive record of 29 wins and no losses, with 26 of those wins coming by knockout. At just 31 years old, he's already won world titles in four weight divisions. He's also been the undisputed champion at both bantamweight and super bantamweight.
The Japanese fighter's latest win came on January 24 when he knocked out Ye Joon Kim in the fourth round at the Ariake Arena in Japan. This fight showed once again why many consider Inoue the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
Inoue's not resting on his laurels. He's got plans to fight again in June, this time in the United States. Word is, he'll likely face David Picasso, who's the WBC mandatory challenger.
With Arum's stamp of approval and a career that keeps getting better, Inoue's future in boxing looks bright. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep living up to the high praise from one of boxing's most experienced figures.
