TOKYO:
Japan’s unbeaten Naoya Inoue stated he needs to show he’s boxing’s pound-for-pound king in opposition to Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sunday, hours after Canelo Alvarez squares off in opposition to Terence Crawford.
Inoue defends his undisputed super-bantamweight world titles in Nagoya in opposition to former two-belt champion Akhmadaliev, who has been described because the Japanese fighter’s most harmful opponent but.
Inoue has a 30-0 report with 27 knockouts and have become the primary Japanese boxer to high Ring Journal’s prestigious pound-for-pound rankings as the perfect fighter throughout all weight divisions in 2022.
Mexico’s undisputed tremendous middleweight champion Alvarez places his belts on the road in opposition to American Crawford, who’s shifting up two weight divisions for the bout in Las Vegas.
The combat has reopened debate over who’s boxing’s greatest pound-for-pound fighter and Inoue needs to ensure his identify stays within the dialog.
“I am wanting ahead to that combat however the combat I am wanting ahead to extra is Naoya Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev, and I would like to focus on that,” the 32-year-old stated on Friday.
“I would like to provide a efficiency worthy of a pound-for-pound champion.”
Inoue stopped American Ramon Cardenas within the eighth spherical in Las Vegas in his earlier bout, the primary time the boxer often known as “Monster” had fought outdoors Japan in 4 years.
He was knocked down for under the second time in his profession however climbed off the canvas to cease Cardenas.
Inoue was additionally knocked down in his win over Mexico’s Luis Nery final yr and the Japanese fighter stated he had realized from his errors.
“I requested myself again and again why I had been knocked down twice and I do know the reply,” he stated.
“It is exactly as a result of I had that have that I can flip it to my benefit on this combat.”
Akhmadaliev gained bronze on the 2016 Rio Olympics earlier than embarking on knowledgeable profession that noticed him maintain the WBA and IBF super-bantamweight world titles between 2020 and 2023.
The 30-year-old, who has a 14-1 report with 11 KOs, beat Mexico’s Luis Castillo in Might.
Akhmadaliev stated he had “not come to Japan for sightseeing”.
“I got here to win the belt and make historical past,” he stated. “I wish to change into world primary.”
