'Boxing's Healthier in Japan Than It Is In The United States', says Lou DiBella
May 5, 2024 • 5:24 AM ET
TOKYO – Lou DiBella has decided to stop off in Tokyo on his way to Australia to watch pound-for-pounder Naoya Inoue light up the Tokyo Dome in front of 55,000 fans.
The disenfranchised promoter will be in Perth next weekend when his lightweight contender George Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) faces Ukrainian star Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) at the RAC Arena for the vacant IBF crown.
But DiBella wants to first soak up Inoue’s fight with Mexico’s Luis Nery for the unified super bantamweight title.
“I’m here as a fan,” admitted DiBella. “I’m here because, lately in boxing, there’s been so much that’s been disappointing me – and I mean this – there’s been so much in boxing that’s been a kick in the gut to me. And even the Ryan [Garcia] stuff last week, the drug test, really upset me.
“Forget about the fact that Ryan was so messed up before the fight … [Mike] Tyson fighting Jake Paul in a ‘sanctioned boxing match,’ Oscar [De La Hoya] and Canelo [Alvarez] was disappointing. There’s just so much that you watch and it’s negative.
“There’s so much distrust, dislike, hate, whatever. I wanted to see just a boxing match, a cleanse. This, to me, is the opportunity to cleanse my soul. And right now, [Inoue]’s my favorite fighter in the game.”
DiBella is one of many who has laughed off Shawn Porter’s claims that Inoue needs to take big fights in America for his star to rocket. The Japanese idol Inoue is a household name here, and compared most to iconic Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani in terms of just how big he is.
“Boxing’s healthier right now in Japan than it is in the United States,” DiBella added. “As big as people said Garcia-[Devin] Haney was, they were reducing ticket prices and giving some away to have the room as full as it was. It did well, but here, this kid … the Tokyo Dome is sold out.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
