Naoya Inoue: 'I want to meet expectations'
Naoya “Monster” Inoue typically takes his opponents to hell but, to the surprise of many, he experienced a little of that himself in his most-recent fight.
The Japanese phenom had to fight through a painful storm to outpoint Nonito Donaire in their Fight of the Year war last November in Saitama, suffering a broken orbital bone, a broken nose and a bad cut yet emerging with a unanimous-decision victory.
Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs) remained unbeaten and unified two 118-pound titles but seemed human for the first time.
He’s had almost a year to heal – without surgery — so he should be healthy when he returns to the ring Saturday inside the “bubble” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (ESPN).
“The Donaire fight was surely the toughest fight of my career,” Inoue told RingTV.com. “But it was also a fight where I gained a lot of experience. And that will make me a better fighter.”
Naoya Inoue (right) had to dig deep to get past Nonito Donaire in his most-recent fight. AP Photo / Toru Takahashi
Inoue was originally scheduled to face fellow titleholder Johnriel Casimero in April but that fight gave way to the coronavirus pandemic. The Filipino slugger accepted a fight with Duke Micah in September, which opened the door for Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs).
The Australian lost a split decision to then-bantamweight titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez in October 2018 but has won three consecutive fights since, including an impressive seventh-round knockout of Leonard Baez in June at the MGM Grand.
“I think that everything happens for a reason, and that loss that I suffered against Rodriguez showed me how much I want this,” Moloney said. “I will not let myself lose again. On Saturday night, nothing will stop me, and I will become the best bantamweight in the world.”
Easier said than done. BetMGM has listed Inoue as an 8-1 underdog, which is no surprise given his track record and imposing combination of speed, ability and crushing power.
Moloney isn’t fazed.
“I know I can win this fight,” he said. “I don’t care if some people think that I can’t win this fight. I believe, and I know that I can win it. He has never faced a fighter as relentless as me. I’m going to take him to places he has never been before.
“I can’t wait. There has been a lot of talk about ‘The Monster’ coming to Las Vegas, but people haven’t seen what I can do inside those ropes.”
Inoue is fighting in the United States because he wants to become a global star on the level of Manny Pacquiao. To do that, he will have to go back to annihilating opponents.
He hasn’t used such a strong adjective to describe his work but he implied that he plans to look like the pre-Donaire “Monster” on Halloween.
“This past year, my injuries have healed very well,” Inoue said. “With COVID-19, it’s has been tough training, but it has been the same for everyone else. We still have to go out there and perform at a high level. I see as a high-level, all-around fighter.
“There are a lot of expectations, and I want to meet those expectations. I take those big expectations, and I use them as motivation and power to keep getting better with every fight.”