Chris Algieri Assesses If Naoya Inoue is a Fighter on the Decline
On the surface, things could not be better for Naoya “Monster” Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs). The 31-year-old from Japan is the reigning undisputed junior featherweight champion of the world and one of the most visible and highest-paid boxers. The Japanese superstar is considered an elite fighter and ranked third in the 3kingsboxing.com Top Ten Fighter rankings. However, are some kinks in the armor starting to develop?
Inoue is coming off a seventh-round stoppage over TJ Doheny on September 3 in Tokyo, Japan. While Inoue didn’t have to break much of a sweat, he did take a few rounds to get into the swing of things. Once the defending got warmed up, you knew it was a game, set, match for Doheny.
After the fight, former junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri discussed the undisputed champion on his podcast, Inside Boxing Live. He warned that time catches up to everyone, including Inoue.
“For the length of this guy’s career and how long he has been active, and moving up in weight and fighting bigger guys with more experience, he’s still stopping them. Granted, he’s not mowing them down and blowing them out with one-punch KOs like he was at 118 and 115. He is human, and he’s going to decline. He’s 31 years old.”
“I always say that 33 is that magic number . . . 33 is when guys start to really start to dip. Inoue’s got a couple of years left.”
STARTING TO SLIP?
Inoue has unique power for a lower-weight fighter. He’s still a dynamic force and arguably the most explosive fighter in boxing. But Algieri is correct that at 122, you’ve yet to see him ice out a foe with one shot like he did at times during his world title reigns at junior bantamweight and bantamweight.
Also, Inoue doesn’t use his legs as much and tends to fight more in the center of the ring. As a result, he’s getting hit more at 122 than he did in years past. Is this a sign of Inoue slowing down, or is it a product of him facing bigger and better competition as he’s moved up in weight?
Historically, smaller and speedy fighters tend to age quicker. Inoue is still fighting at a very high level. Anyone who claims that Monster has gotten old is foolish. He’s not on a downfall, but the more he fights and the older he becomes, he’s not going to get any better than what we’re presently witnessing.
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