Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum has declared Naoya 'The Monster' Inoue the greatest fighter in boxing history. The bold statement comes from a man who's seen it all in the sport.
Arum's journey in boxing began in the 1960s when he switched from a law career to found Top Rank Boxing in 1973. Since then, he's promoted some of the biggest names in the sport, including Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, and Tyson Fury.
Arum worked closely with the late, great heavyweight icon Muhammad Ali throughout the seventies, giving him a unique perspective on boxing greatness. He also played a key role in Tyson Fury's comeback, helping the British heavyweight bounce back from personal issues to sensationally dethrone Deontay Wilder for the WBC world heavyweight title in 2020.
But it's Inoue who's captured Arum's imagination like no other. In a recent interview with Jai McCallister, Arum couldn't contain his admiration for the Japanese sensation:
"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."
Arum's praise didn't stop there. He continued:
"It's scary what I'm seeing. He so overwhelms his opponents, really good opponents. I've never seen a fighter of that size perform the way he has. Maybe a Salvador Sanchez had that ability, but even then he didn't win all his fights by knockout. Inoue goes into these fights, he boxes these guys and then he knocks them out. What we're seeing in Inoue is something really special. It's as special for boxing as Otani is for baseball."
The 32-year-old Inoue, nicknamed 'The Monster', hails from Kanagawa, Japan. He turned pro in 2012 and has racked up world titles in four weight divisions. He's become undisputed champion at both bantamweight and super-bantamweight.
Inoue's most recent fight saw him stop American Ramon Cardenas inside eight rounds in Las Vegas on May 4, defending his undisputed crown at 122lbs. Rumors suggest his next opponent could be former unified super-bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev later this year.
With such high praise from a boxing legend like Bob Arum, all eyes will be on Inoue's next move as he continues to cement his legacy in the sport.
