Comments Thread For: Could Naoya Inoue Face Vasiliy Lomachenko? Chris Algieri Says Not So Fast

[boogbx]

Inoue would not get past Venado Lopez at 126 so no way in hell should he try to fight Loma.

[Griever0730]

Just no respect to the lower weight classes. If you ain't fighting 135lbs or higher than you can't be recognised apparently and you have to fight up there even though you have no buisness fighting up there. Why does this guy have to fight a Loma or Tank guys hes vastly smaller than to get people to say he's a great fighter and like you said when he would lose because of that people would just say 'ahh see he wasn't that good was he'

This right here. The lower weights have alot of good fighters and are more willing to fight each other than the higher weights(mainly bc of the lower pay). Lack of exposure for them is not their fault nor reason to say these guys ain't fought nobody. Inoue just clearly stands out from the rest as something different. Everybody points to Pacquiao when it comes to moving up in weight, but just bc Pacquiao did all that moving up in weight doesn't mean anybody can. Nobody has done what Pacquiao has done in winning titles in 8 divisions and probably never will again. Everyone has their limits and Inoue has most likely reached his at 122. 126 is probably a stretch too far, but who knows. All these guys at 126 probably looking forward to Inoue coming their way seeing that he is the cash cow of those lower weights and how Nery made him look human for a moment by putting him on the canvas. Only time will tell.

[Griever0730]

Agree with most of what you’re saying.

But he’s not a small 122lber. He stated he walks around 140+

When Rigo was at 122 I’d say he was a ‘small 122 pounder’

Compared to the guys Inoue has fought at 122, he's looked much smaller than them when sized up in the ring. He just has the skills to make up for it and has shown that he can still hurt these bigger guys and get respect from them. At 126, you got guys like Vargas and Espinoza who are dam near 6 ft tall and can punch, adding in really good fighters like Lopez and Ramirez who are awkward, can punch as well and are much bigger than these guys at 122. Inoue will definitely be tested the way everybody wants to see him tested at 126. As a fan, I would love to see him against any of those guys and won't hold it against him, but the average hater will probably discredit him if he doesn't look impressive or even loses like Canelo did with Bivol. There are weight classes for a reason and size does matter after a certain point. That's just what it is.

[tokon]

It would make a lot more sense than fighting Tank but it still doesn't make much sense

Agreed.

There's weight categories in combat sports for a reason.

Looking at him, Inoue is not even a "big" 122lb-er. There's a good chance he peaks out at 126 imo. If he can go up and unify there, its more than enough to secure a legacy as Japan's greatest fighter. With the money and stardom he has got/can get in his own country he doesn't need USA or money-grab fights with lightweights. People outside the country don't realise that Japan is much more important to Japanese than any other country.

[boxing IQ]

Its more about Loma Tank as opposition more than they are 135, If they were 126 they be calling for those fights just the same, I don't think they are trying to get Inoue beat, more about they want to see him fight high profile elite guys.

Feel the same way. Really wish there were more names below 135 but there aren't.

Loma's performed better at the lower weights and could probably still make 130, but even then it's still a stretch unless he's trying to cash out at a catchweight in Japan.

[MONGOOSE66]

****** idea. Casuals think that way. Same people who want to see Crawford fight Canelo. Even Crawford knows better but he wants the payday.

[_Rexy_]

Agree with most of what you’re saying.

But he’s not a small 122lber. He stated he walks around 140+

When Rigo was at 122 I’d say he was a ‘small 122 pounder’

There's an article floating around claiming Inoue "walks around" at 138. No idea where that came from, aside from maybe the 14 day weigh in video where he stepped on the scale mid workout and weighed in in the 130's


Inoue has been significantly smaller against all of his 122 opponents. Hell, he looked 1-2 weight classes smaller than Donaire when they fought too, who didn't look like he'd even dropped much weight from his 126 days.

[_Rexy_]

Can we stop rushing Inoue too move up? Unless you want him to juice up, let him take his time and do it the right way

Lmfao "Boxing Fans" are like "Who cares if he went 118 to 122 just last year. 122 to 135 is ONLY 13lbs. Why is he ducking Tank?

Also, Devin is way too big to fight Tank. Who cares if they're in the same weight class.

[-Kev-]

It would have been a great fight if Inoue was campaigning at 126 and showed that he’s the best in that weight class, and only then, moving up to 130, and Loma moving down to 130, would the fight actually make a lot of sense.

All Inoue would hope to have is power, because no way in hell is he outboxing Lomachenko being the smaller man. When there’s two great technical boxers like Inoue and Loma, the bigger man wins. It would look like Mayweather vs Marquez. Or even Loma vs Rigo.

Even though Loma isn’t necessarily a huge fighter by any means, actually quite small at 135, he’s big enough to be too big for Inoue even at 130. But crazier things have happened and Loma is getting old and Inoue is in his prime right now.

[whirlout]

Inoue should move up and fight every killer available but Tank should stay put and continue to cherry pick. You gotta love these boxing fans.