By Cliff Rold
2017 was a fantastic year for boxing. Part of the fantastic was the continued explosion of activity and recognition for the deeply talented pool at 115 lbs.
Outside welterweight, where it’s hard to find an extended dry spell over the last hundred years where it didn’t feature several of the sports best, most divisions go through notable ups and downs. The ups in the lower weight divisions can sometimes be overlooked in English speaking markets.
We’re living through a unique time when all the pieces have come together for a truly global engagement.
It won’t last forever.
2018 could see at least one critical component of the Jr. bantamweight wave move up another tick on the scale.
It won’t happen before he makes his third and final appearance of the year on December 30th.
Followers of the lower weight classes know that the two days before New Year’s mean big cards in Japan. For the fourth year in a row, it specifically means an appearance by “The Monster” Naoya Inoue (14-0, 12 KO).
Inoue will attempt his third defense of the year, and seventh overall, of the WBO 115 lb. belt. Regardless of the division they’ll weigh in at, it feels like a test run in a sooner-than-later anticipated move to bantamweight proper for Inoue.
It’s also, after a year where all of the beltholders and some of their biggest threats in the class made big impressions, were exposed to multiple international television markets, and produced memorable results, a fitting epilogue to a banner year.
How big a test will it be?
Challenger Yoan Boyeaux (41-4, 26 KO) has never been stopped, is only 29, and since starting his career 10-4, hasn’t lost in over thirty fights. What makes Boyeaux interesting is how all over the scale he’s been. The Frenchmen has fought above the featherweight limit and more often around bantamweight than Jr. bantam.
His record isn’t littered with elite talent but available footage indicates a competent professional with pretty good hand speed. If he can take the offense of Inoue, maybe he makes it interesting.
Even without any stoppage losses, taking the offense of Inoue is a hard bargain.
Pound for pound, Inoue is one of boxing’s biggest hitters right now. His September debut on HBO expanded the audience for a fighter hardcore fans have raved about since he won his first title, at 108 lbs., in 2014. BoxingScene named him the Fighter of the Year then, impressed by an ingénue capable of capturing belts in two weight classes, skipping one in between along the way.
Even if there is an eye on a bantamweight future, Inoue isn’t there yet. He’s got business at 115 in little more than a week. Will there be additional business next year?
If there were, it would likely come by way of the winner of the next HBO “Superfly” card in February. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, two-time (once clearly) conqueror of future hall of famer Roman Gonzalez defends the WBC belt against former unified flyweight titlist Juan Francisco Estrada in what looks like a potential classic. Assuming HBO stays interested in the class, the winner of that one versus Inoue would be the obvious destination.
While the Boyeaux fight won’t have the same audience as Inoue’s HBO outing against Antonio Nieves, it’s better than inactivity. The social media landscape means lots of chances to share YouTube links of the fight or GIFs of knockout endings. It means one last impression in a weight class riding the full crest of its wave.
Cliff’s Notes…
An entirely sick household meant a week’s delay in seeing the new Star Wars. That meant unavoidable spoilers, none of which took away from looking forward to seeing it…Floyd Mayweather seems to have quickly shut down any talk of his tempting the confines of a UFC cage but, if he did go that way, who wouldn’t watch? It was at least something fun to ponder for a day…December 31st has a unification contest at 108 lbs. that fans should pay attention to. More on that next week…Caleb Truax over James DeGale has to be in the running for Upset of the Year right? Was anyone calling that one?...While neither Vitali Klitschko or Winky Wright made my Hall of Fame ballot this year, both had understandable backing. The only slam-dunk on the ballot, Erik Morales, had to be joined by someone.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com