Undisputed crown magpapatunay na ako ang pound-for-pound boxing king: Inoue

Nais ni Naoya Inoue ng Japan na patunayang siya ay karapat-dapat sa kanyang katayuan bilang bagong pound-for-pound king ng boxing, sa pamamagitan ng pagiging hindi mapag-aalinlanganang bantamweight world champion.

Ang mabangis na 29-anyos ay itinanghal na bagong pound-for-pound number one ng The Ring magazine noong nakaraang buwan, matapos i-demolish ang mahusay na beteranong Pinoy na si Nonito Donaire sa loob ng dalawang round para idagdag ang WBC bantamweight world title sa kanyang WBA at IBF belts.

Pinalitan ni Inoue ang Ukrainian heavyweight na si Oleksandr Usyk sa tuktok ng pound-for-pound tree, at nais ng Japanese fighter na patunayang nararapat siya sa titulo sa pamamagitan ng pagtalo sa WBO title-holder ng Britanya na si Paul Butler para maging undisputed champion.

Ayon kay Inoue na hindi pa natalo sa lahat ng 23 niyang laban na ang 20 rito ay sa pamamagitan ng knockout . . . “People were saying that me becoming the number one pound-for-pound fighter all depended on what happened in the Donaire fight, and things worked out as well as I could have imagined. From here on, I want to give performances worthy of the number one pound-for-pound fighter. In order to do that, I need to unify the bantamweight world titles and then take on the super-bantamweight division.”

Nakuha ng 33-anyos na si Butler ang nabakanteng WBO champion title ni John Riel Casimero, nang talunin niya si Jonas Sultan sa pamamagitan ng unanimous decision noong Abril.

Siya ay umakyat mula interim patungo sa full champion noong May, nang alisin ng WBO ang titulo kay Casimero.

Sinabi pa ni Inoe . . . “Negotiations to face Butler before the end of the year are progressing in a good direction and I don’t have preference about where the fight takes place. If it happens by the end of this year, I don’t care whether it happens in Japan, the US or Britain. It doesn’t really matter to me. I want the fight wherever it is.”

Si Inoue ang unang pound-for-pound king na nagmula sa Japan, kung saan sikat na sikat na siya.

Isa rin siyang bihirang halimbawa ng isang boksingero mula sa lighter weight classess, na itinuring bilang world’s top fighter.

Dagdag pa ng boksingero . . . “Satisfying the fans was just as important to me as winning and I want to show everyone who comes to watch me what I can do. I think that’s how I’ve been able to get my record of 23 wins with 20 knockouts. I always try to knock out my opponent and I think that’s been recognised.”

Naniniwala rin siya na ang pag-akyat sa super-bantamweight ang magiging “best weight class” para sa kaniya, at hangad niyang magretiro na sa pagbo-boksing pagsapit niya ng 35.

Ayon kay Inoue . . . “I acknowledged that boxing is not a sport that you can take lightly but I would like to retire with an unbeaten record. I’d like to think when I turn 35, I will be able to look back and think I was happy that I became a boxer. If I’m able to feel that, I think I’ll be content.”

© Agence France-Presse