When it comes to Japanese fighters at the moment there is no one who has excited the boxing world quite like WBO Super Flyweight champion Naoya Inoue (13-0, 11) [井上 尚弥],who was in action earlier today, and successfully recorded his 5th defenses of his world title. And he did so whilst hardly breaking sweat against the #2 ranked WBO challenger, American based Mexican Ricardo Rodriguez (16-4, 5), who had never previously been stopped.
The bout started with both men looking to control the range, but it was Inoeu's razor sharp jab and incredible footwork that controlled the round. The Mexican had his moments, but they were few and far between whilst Inoue's jab looked a consistent threat and he landed a wonderfully flurry late in the round, as well as an incredible left hand, that seemed to make Rodriguez realise that he was in there with an incredible talent. The second round saw Rodriguez become more adventurous but again it was Inoue's footwork and jab that controlled the action, with Rodriguez falling short with a number of shots, and hitting the guard on the few times he was close enough to connect. The Mexican was showing his fighting spirit but had no answer to Inoue, who landed a huge straight late in the round and a brutal body shot as he began to move through the gears. Rodriguez knew the task was getting harder and harder with Inoue starting to look increasingly more offensive. That offense was too much in round 3 with a left hook dropping the challenger. Rodriguez, to his credit, got to his feet, but it was the start of the end and another left hook dropped him for the counter, giving Inoue his 5th defense of the title. With the win under his belt Inoue is now set to make his US debut, with a September date pencilled in, with HBO likely to televise the bout. That will see Inoue build on his reputation as one of the best fighters in the sport. For Rodriguez the loss will damage his career, and it's unlikely he will be getting another title fight any time soon.
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The second of 7 world title bouts to end the in Japan was a WBO Super Flyweight title bout that saw defending champion Naoya Inoue (12-0, 10) [井上 尚弥] retain his title in a brilliantly fun fight against the aggressive and tough Kohei Kono (32-10-1, 13) [河野 公平] in a genuine exciting fight.
From the opening seconds it was clear that Kono wasn't in the ring to make up numbers and within a minute he was launching hooks and trying to put Inoue under pressure. Sadly for Kono that wasn't hugely effective in the first round as Inoue's speed and skills saw him land some nasty shots, and he seemed to shake Kono in the final moments of the round. Kono is known as the “Tough Boy” for a reason and proved that in round 2 when he continued to apply the pressure and steamed in again in an offensive manner. Again he was punished with Inoue landing some really brutal body shots that would have taken out most other foes. Kono on the some how saw out the round with going down but he had been badly hurt before the bell. Kono refused to learn his lesson and continued to apply the same game plan in round 3, and again took some abuse to the body. It was however a better round for Kono who seemed to realise that his offense was causing Inoue to put limit what he was doing and despite taking some monstrous body shots he withstood most of the Inoue assault with no real issue. Kono continued to build on that success with an excellent round 4, a round in which he seemed to genuinely win with sheer determination and work rate, despite a vicious combination at the end from Inoue. We saw Kono continue to attack in an ultra-aggressive manner through round 5 and once again he seemed to have Inoue hadcuffed at times while unloading flurry after flurry. Not every shot from the challenger got through but there was enough getting through to give him half a hope as Inoue seemed to slow down. Although Kono was having success Inoue didn't look too bothered by things, but was clearly under some pressure. Sadly for Kono the ultra-aggressive tactic became his undoing in round 6 when he was caught by a frighteningly good counter shot from Inoue. The shot sent Kono down hard and it seemed unlikely Kono would beat the count, so much saw that Inoue rushed the corner and started celebrating. Amazingly Kono regained his feet, and the referee allowed him to go on. It was however a futile effort and a follow up from Inoue sent the challenger down for the second time, this time causing the referee to wave the bout off. For Kono, who suffered his first stoppage loss here, this is probably the end. He was game and brave through the bout, giving Inoue one of his most interesting tests to date, but it was likely a case of “giving everything and going out on your shield to end your career” rather than anything else. As for the champion his attention surely turns, once again, to unification bouts and other notable opponents with contests against the likes of Roman Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada, Carlos Cuadras, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Kal Yafai, Johnriel Casimero and Jerwin Ancajas all really attractive propositions in the red hot Super Flyweight division. His stoppage here was a much needed statement after some less than flattering performances recent and it may well have put the division on alert once again, much as he did when he took out Omar Andres Narvaez in 2 rounds at the end of 2014. Earlier today “The Monster” Naoya Inoue (11-0, 9) [井上 尚弥] returned to Zama for his first fight at home in 3 years and gave the local fans exactly what they wanted as he scored a 10th round win over gutsy Thai Petchbarngborn Kokietgym (38-8-1, 18) [เพชรบางบอน ก่อเกียรติยิม] The Japanese fighter showed a bit of everything in his arsenal for the fans who saw him box, fight, brawl and eventually finish his man. The fight started rather slowly with both men looking to establish their jabs though quickly heated up with Inoue bringing in his combinations, tagging the body hard and even hurting the Thai with a right hand near the end of the right. Petchbarngborn, to his credit, looked calm and composed for the most part but it was clear that Inoue had gears to go through. Inoue started to go through some of those gears at times in round 2 as he showed both his boxing ability, jabbing and moving and keeping Petchbarngborn from setting himself at all, and his fighting ability taking the action to the Thai and unloading some frightening combinations. It was clear the Japanese youngster had no intention of seeking an early finish and was instead using the early rounds to try things out and box well within himself. As we went through round 3 it seemed Inoue was getting more and more satisfied with his work and he began to really put on a showcase with some gorgeous punch picking to both head an body and sublime movement that left Petchbarngborn chasing shadows. The following round saw Inoue become a pure boxer moving and refusing to throw almost any right hands, depending almost entirely on the jab, as if it was a jab-only sparring session. Having become comfortable with his jab Inoue allowed Petchbarngborn to bring the fight too him and the two spent much of round 5 trading shots on the inside, with the Thai having some success, including several low ones that left Inoue showing his inexperience and dropping his hands. The Thai got several free shots on Inoue, to little effect, but was later punished by the Japanese youngster who really took it to the Thai with nasty body shots later in the round. With Petchbarngborn's confidence growing he started to take the fight to Inoue again in round 6 and seem to catch the Japanese fighter behind the head at one point. From then on however Inoue seemed to begin to take things seriously and started to use the Thai for target practice with Petchbarngborn looking weary walking to his corner to end the round. It was as if he'd tried all his tricks and they'd had success, but he'd been given a beating for trying them. Having allowed Petchbarngborn moments in rounds 7 and 8 Inoue got on his big in round 9 and mentally tortured the Thai with his movement and jab. It was mental torture for the challenger, who didn't take much a physical battering but struggled to land anything the entire round whilst being fed a steady diet of jabs. Having sharpened his tools through the first 9 rounds Inoue began to show what he was truly capable of in round 10 letting a 2 fisted attack go that hurt the Thai. With his man hurt Inoue went on the all out offensive with Petchbarngborn firing back whilst on the retreat. Sadly for the challenger he was unable to stop the onslaught, despite showing unreal toughness, and eventually went down. He had taken a hiding in the round and yet still tried to get to his feet, but was counted out in the act of rising. The performance, for fans watching, wasn't the most impressive from Inoue however it looked like a controlled performance for the most part. Almost as if he was focusing on particular things rather than being his most destructive. It was a performance that seemed more like a spar at times. But when he went to close the show he did close it. For Petchbarngborn his performance was really credible. He showed his toughness and, looking at this performance, he may well have given Paul Butler fits had Butler not failed to make weight. He had his moments against Inoue but never looked like he was going to make much of a dent on the Monster, other than the low blows he landed relative early on. After the fight Inoue's right hand did appear to have been damaged as his team cut the wraps off, but it wasn't massively bad, like it has been in the past when it's been swollen, and it should be fine going forward. It will however be at the back of his mind in the coming days as he travels to the US to watch next weekend's “Super Fight” between Roman Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) Just moments ago Japanese fans, and those international fans with streams for Fuji TV, saw Japanese wunderkind Naoya Inoue (10-0, 8) [井上 尚弥] make the second defense of his WBO Super Flyweight title as he over-came tough mandatory challenger David Carmona (20-3-5, 8) and a serious injury.
In the opening seconds Inoue made his intent known, landing a huge shot up top that seemed to wobble Carmona, who instantly backed up looking and looked to become the counter puncher for the round. It worked in spells, but those spells were few and far between Inoue consistently finding a home for power shots, one of which stunned Carmona just before the bell. The second round was a more controlled effort from Inoue who picked his shots better than he had in the opening and applied more intelligent pressure looking for holes in Carmona's tight defense. Given how tight Carmona's defense was and how unwilling he was to let his hands go when Inoue was coming forward it seemed that Inoue looked to change tactic in round 3 when he began to back up and almost allow Carmona to let his hands go a little. That didn't last long however as Inoue's aggressive instincts kicked in half way through the round and he just easily walked Carmona backwards. Carmona did however end the round with some aggression and it seemed almost like he had found a footing in the bout. Having had some success in round 3 Carmona began to fight more aggressively in round 4. The higher level of aggression from Carmona seemed to be want Inoue was wanting and half way through round 4 the Monster found some solid shots through the guard of Carmona. Following those solid shots Carmona went back on to defense and spent almost a minute looking to avoid Inoue. Carmona did try and show some offense late but by then it was too little too late. Round 5 was another where Carmona was willingly backing up with only moments of offense. Those moments were probably foolish as they ended up really annoying Inoue who went into “seek and destroy” mode battering Carmona around the ring for almost a minute as the Monster smelled blood. To his credit Carmona saw out the round without being dropped but it was a nightmare round for the challenger. After having shown some vicious intent in round 5 Inoue eased off during the early stages of round 6, but still managed to land the most eye catching shots of the round. Carmona, at one point, got Inoue on the ropes but was given a beating following it and appeared to be a fighter living on grit and determination alone. At the end of round 6 it seemed that Inoue had hurt his right hand and through round 7 he fought very cautiously, using only his lead hand on a consistent basis, and relying on the experience of his fight with Yuki Sano. Even one handed Inoue seemed to out box Carmona, though was much less explosive than he had been in rounds 5 and 6. The boxing skills of Inoue were on show again in round 8 as he again fought 1 handed. Carmona had much more success, seemingly realising he was up against a 1-handed fighter. Although Carmona had the hand advantage he lacked the skills and speed to cope with Inoue who found a home for his jab and hook, and did, albeit rarely, unload with the right hand. By round 9 the pace and excitement of the bout had died. Inoue was too good for Carmona, even with one hand, for the Mexican to try to be too adventurous whilst Inoue was showing caution and when he did, sparingly, use the right hand it was aimed at the body of Carmona. In round 10 it seemed like Inoue was willing to risk his right hand again and and unloaded a 2-fisted assault on Carmona after hurting the Mexican. Carmona, to his genuine credit, saw out the storm once again. Round 11 was another quieter round, with Inoue happy to win the round boxing and not take any real risks. In the final round however Inoue began to seek a stoppage again and went after Carmona as the crowd suddenly woke up, dropping the Mexican with about 30 seconds left. Inoue could smell the unlikely stoppage and went off unloading on the Mexican who just did enough to see out the bell, and the 12 rounds. The 10-8 in round 12 helped secure a wide win for Inoue with scores of 118-109, 118-109 and a bizarrely close 116-111. It also gave him his first complete 12 round bout. Although Inoue wasn't his most impressive here, or even close to his most destructive, he showed poise and genuine calmness despite the hand injury. He showed that he can cope when he's having to go through real adversity and that he has the skills to cope fighting one handed against a world ranked opponent, something he had done at the Japanese level against Yuki Sano. Sadly however the injury, a recurring injury, does leave us with serious questions about how long Inoue will be out of the ring, and how the hand will hold up in the future. Last time he injured it he was out for a year and to see him waste another year of his career on recovering would be a real shame. Given how he fought in the final round however it could be that the injury isn't as serious as it had been in the past. Last December we saw Naoya Inoue (9-0, 8) destroy Omar Andres Narvaez in 2 rounds to stamp his claim as the 2014 Fight of the Year, sadly however that win saw him damage his right hand and spend almost a year out of the ring. That year seems to have seen Inoue build up some pent up frustration that came out today when he destroyed mandatory challenger Warlito Parrenas (24-7-1, 21) in less than a round and a half. The opening round was a relatively dull one. Parrenas tried to apply intelligent pressure behind a high guard and came forward but seemed very reluctant to let hi hands go. Inoue picked his spots to let shots go, but mostly seemed to hit the guard of Parrenas, though one or two did get through. It had the look of a frustrating night for both The Monster and the fans. In round two however Inoue had a quick break through and quickly staggered Parrenas with a right hand. Only moments later Parrenas was down, courtesy of another right hand. The Filipino challenger was hurt on the canvas but his fighters instinct saw him get up. Inoue lay in wait, almost licking his lips knowing that the end was imminent. As soon as Parrenas was ready to continue Inoue went on the hunt and only moments later he scored the second knockdown, this time the referee did the merciful thing and stopped the action, putting Parrenas out of his misery. For Inoue, who has now made the first defense of his title, we're expecting to see a swift return to the ring, and suspicion is that Hideyuki Ohashi will be in talks, possibly later this week, with American TV about getting The Monster Stateside for a bout in Spring. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) Late on Saturday we saw yet another Filipino fighter feel the pain of fighting on the road and being up against more than just the opponent. Unlike last weekend, the fight didn't see the referee allow a fighter to break the rules at will, but the judging certainly left something of a foul taste.
The bout in question was a bout for the WBO “interim” Super Flyweight title and was ordered by the WBO, who set up the fight due to an injury to champion Naoya Inoue, who made the right decision to order an interim title fight. The fighters, Warlito Parrenas (24-6-1, 21) and David Carmona (19-2-5, 8), may not be the best in the division but they put on a good fight, albeit one that didn't get the right result. From the opening round it seemed clear the fighters were very different men. In the ring Carmona was the “better boxer”, the sharp puncher and the more technically correct of the two men, Parrenas however showed little regard to the correct but “pitty patty” shots of the Mexican and instead the Filipino tried to make the fight into a battle and enforce his style on to the bout. Early on it was Parrenas' style that was in charge of the action with the Filipino walking forward, stalking his man and and landing his trademark power shots. Those shots early saw him establishing the early lead, a lead that was extenuated by a knockdown he scored in the second round. The first round that could have gone to the Mexican was round 3, though even that was close and won on the back foot, a round that could easily have gone to the Filipino who looked stronger and more determined than the Mexican fighter. It was clear, however, that round 4 belonged to the Mexican who had managed to cut the gap on the score cards with good boxing, moving and making Parrenas look a little bit slow and clumsy. It was exactly what Carmona had to do. Carmona's continued to make Parrenas look second best in round 5 with the Filipino clearly missing numerous times and being tagged by clean, but light, shots from the home fighter. Parrenas did have his moments but it was clear that he was second best as Carmona managed to level off the scores and get rid of the 3 point hole he had found himself in. In round 6 Parrenas managed to make early inroads, landing an uppercut early on that appeared to shake Carmona slightly and lead to more success for the Filipino slugger who seemed to stem the tide from the previous 3 rounds. Carmona however settled back to his boxing by the end of the round and seemed to accept that he was going to have to move, a lot, just to survive the bout with the powerful Pinoy. Parrenas started round 7 with the same intention he had shown in round 6 and went off fast after the Mexican who was beginning to run and hold more than fight. It still seemed like Carmona was the better “boxer” but he was unable to use many of his skills as Parrenas looked to bully him and intimidate him. Notably, for Carmona, he did manage to end round 7 well, but for the most part seemed to come off second best. Carmona's success late in round 7 seemed to continue in round 8, though Parrenas did well to establish himself through the middle of the round. Carmona, to his credit, didn't seem to worry as Parrenas came at him and instead the Mexican got back to hitting on the move, making Parrenas chase him. It was one of the bouts closest rounds but a round that would likely go to the home fighter, especially considering a late, eye catching, flurry that he landed. Carmona failed to build on his late success and began to look like he was slowing and running out of ideas, Parrenas wasn't changing anything about what he was doing but it didn't seem like he needed to, as the Filipino was in the lead and seemingly walking down his Mexican foe. Going into final few rounds it seemed clear that Carmona would have to pull something out of the bag. He tried in round 10, and landed most of the telling blows late on, though again it was a case of much of his work coming too late to really steal the round. The 11th was another that Parrenas seemed to win with a tiring Carmona offering little in terms of quality or quantity against the big punching Filipino, who lacked accuracy but certainly landed the better shots. Sadly for Parrenas he too was looking like he was running out of steam and he wasn't helped by the referee who seemed to end the round a few seconds early, just as Carmona seemed to wobble. It seemed, in round 12, that Parrenas was wary of fighting on foreign soil and swung for the fences seeking a final round knockout. From a neutral point of view it seemed he had a comfortable lead but, as we all know, being the away fighter can sometimes make winning on the cards very difficult. Unfortunately for Parrenas he was unable to get the knockout that he was seeking, though he did land many of the rounds most notable shots in what seemed like another clear round for the Filipino slugger. Unfortunately for Parrenas he couldn't do enough to convince the judge that he deserved the win, instead the decided on a split decision draw, a very hard to swallow result given the knockdown by Parrenas early in the bout. Neither man will be happy at the result, that's a given. It is however a result that could easily lead to a rematch. It could also see either of them becoming the next option for Naoya Inoue, who was supposed to fight the winner in 90 days from this bout. The one thing it does, for both men, is keeps them in the hunt for another shot, with neither really falling down the pecking order. The other thing it does, which maybe more interesting to some fans, is it seemingly leaves Inoue without a clear dance partner. Instead it seems that Inoue may be able to return sooner than originally thought, possibly in September, and may find himself with a voluntary defense given that his mandatory challenger isn't clear. He may face either of these two, or the WBO may allow him to face someone of his choosing, which could be a more interesting option for fans and the fighter. The judges, as they often do, got this wrong and Parrenas certainly has every right to feel aggrieved, something that was on his face after the cards had been read. He may however be able to get another big fight considering his style and the excitement he brought to this bout. As for Carmona it's hard to see where he goes after this somewhat negative performance that saw him being lucky to be the home fighter. In professional boxing it can be very easy to get lost in hype. The American and British boxing media want to hype everyone that is shown on their airwaves. Sadly however sometimes the best aren't shown on "Western TV", the best example of that is Naoya Inoue (8-0, 7) who lived up to his moniker of "Monster" earlier today when he destroyed Argentinian stalwart Omar Andres Narvaez (43-2-2, 23) in the most explosive, destructive and violent performance of his career and claimed the WBO Super Flyweight title, becoming the fastest man in history to become a 2-weight world champion. In fact so perfect was this performance that Inoue may actually be the best fighter on the planet, it might be that Inoue is the only man we would favour over Roman Gonzalez in the lower weights, and more worryingly he's only getting better. The youngster from Kanagawa started fast. And we mean fast landing big shots almost from the opening seconds, shots that quickly sent Narvaez down. In fact Inoue sent Narvaez down inside a minute, Nonito Donaire couldn't manage it in 12 rounds. Inoue wasn't happy with just the one knockdown however and went looking for a stoppage in same round. Soon afterwards Narvaez was down a second time and Inoue went on the prowl smelling bleed. His prey knew what was coming however and Narvaez went into survival mode, hoping to see off the incoming storm. Narvaez managed to see out the opening round but then came the second round and Inoue again smelled victory. He went on the offensive quickly and although he was forced to eat a powerful straight it seemed to just bounce off him. Narvaez had nothing and was again sent to the canvas for the third knockdown of the fight. From then on it was a matter of time, time that was cut short as Inoue found the body of Narvaez and hammered away, repeatedly sinking in shots to the gut until Narvaez went down for a fourth time! This time he stayed down, there was no point in attempting to come back. After the bout the Inoue clan, and the Ohashi gym members, celebrated with Inoue who hasn't just stamped his name in the history books but has stamped his name on the "Fighter of the Year" and "Performance of the Year" awards. For those publications that have already down your rewards, we hope you feel silly given how amazing Inoue looked here. We suspect Inoue will be back in action in early 2015, at the end of the fight he hardly looked touched, not a mark on his face. Sometimes action speak louder than words, and this performance speaks a million words. For those who missed it, the fight can be seen in full here. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) In boxing some fighters are very good and others are simply exceptional. This past evening the very good Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-11-1, 10) was made to look simply awful by the very special and very, very talented Argentinian Omar Andres Narvaez (40-1-2, 21). Although Hisataka's record isn't great he's a much better fighter than the numbers indicate and he's also a much better fighter than Narvaez allowed him to be in one of the most outstanding performance we've seen this year. Hisataka, known for his toughness and his ability to be competitive with great opponents such as Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Hugo Fidel Cazares, Denkaosan Kaovichit and Takefumi Sakata was simply never able to get into this bout. Narvaez, although cautious in the opening round appeared to do enough to take it. It was the only round Hisataka came close to making an argument in as Narvaez spent much of it feeling out what Histaka had to offer. It seemed the Japanese challenger had little more than some excellent defensive moment and a predictable right hand. Following the opening round Narvaez began to take over winning rounds 2, 3 and 4 comfortably whilst boxing well within himself. He appeared to have already figured out that Hisataka's only real weapon was his straight right hand and that his foot work was weak, his ability to avoid hooks was almost none existent and that his body was often a wide open target. The Argentinian's only problem in the early stages was managing to catch Hisataka clean. By the fifth round Narvaez was beginning to tag Hisataka clean. The quick defensive movements of Hisataka were gone and he seemed to be trying everything he knew to find an opening including dropping his hands completely, something for which he was punished for. This appeared to be the start of the end as Hisataka's confidence quickly began to drain away. If the fifth round showed Hisataka running out of ideas the sixth showed Narvaez proving he had an extra gear as he dominated Hisataka with every shot in the book, both to to the body and the head. It was the first sign that Narvaez seemed to realise he could hurt Hisataka and a round that very easily could have been scored 10-8 even with out a knockdown. Having been thoroughly dominated in the previous round Hisataka came out for round 7 like a man who knew he had to do something to turn the bout around. He tried to hurt Narvaez, and through a very long series of shots though unfortunately the clever defensive work of Narvaez saw very, very few connecting. After having given Hisataka a chance to attack early in round 7 the Argentinian fired back, hammering Hisataka once more with shots up and down as he made it clear that Hisataka wasn't in his league. Narvaez, who had ended round 7 on fire showed a renewed vigour in trying to stop Hisataka in the following round unleashing nasty shots one after the other. By now Hisataka was totally unraveling, his defense was failing badly, his body and head were being used as target practice and his offensive work was becoming more and more limited. It was starting to resemble a beat down. The beating continued through round 9 with Narvaez now really punishing Hisataka, every single shot was thrown to hurt the Japanese fighter who was putting on a brave face despite being slowly beaten down by a highly skilled fighter. Unfortunately for Hisataka, Narvaez's attacks were well measured, he wasn't risking being caught by anything despite the complete control he was having and this meant the referee was in no rush to jump in. That however all changed part way through round 10 as Narvaez turned the screw and hunted the stoppage more intensely than he had in the previous rounds. A series of body shots says Hisataka dropping his hands and follow up shots reigned down on the Japanese fighter until the referee had seen enough to stop the bout. This will be a very hard loss for Hisataka to come back from. He was totally out classed and beaten down by an "old man" and the loss could totally shatter his confidence. Saying that however Narvaez is genuinely exceptional, there is possibly only two men in the division who we would favour over him and one of those is Srisaket Sor Rungvisai a fighter who, if he faced Narvaez, would surely make for an exhilarating battle. Hisataka probably won't return to the world stage, there though is nothing preventing him from claiming a Japanese title or even competing for the OPBF belt both of which are great achievements in their own right. |
World Title Results
Whether you like them or not World Titles add prestige to any bout as a result we've included the results of world title bouts in this special section. Archives
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