Impressive Naoya Inoue stat shocks Paulie Malignaggi
Former world champion Malignaggi reveals a shocking statistic, reflecting the devastating punch power of undisputed super bantamweight king Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs).
The ProBox TV presenter reported that the Japanese star has scored more 10-8 rounds (42) than 10-9 rounds (40) in his professional career thus far.
On X, Malignaggi reacted: “This is a crazy stat.”
He then followed it up by adding: “Where will Inoue rank all time in his generation?”
At the age of 30, Inoue has become a four-weight world champion – undisputed in two divisions.
The fact that he has totalled a significant number of knockdowns is unsurprising, though, as it seems that every opponent he faces will, inevitably, touch the canvas.
When he stepped up to face unified super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton, after dismantling Paul Butler down at 118 lbs to become undisputed, many believed that the American would offer a stern test for the seemingly indestructible recking machine.
However, this was not how the fight played out as, when they met in the ring in July last year, Fulton was forced to crawl into his shell when Inoue turned up the heat and stopped him in the eighth round.
Equally, Marlon Tapales, a unified champion and highly-regarded fighter in his own right, was widely considered to be Inoue’s toughest opponent when the pair squared off in December last year.
But, while he was competitive in the early rounds, the Filipino eventually faltered when Inoue – in his usual, explosive fashion – went through the gears and scored a tenth-round knockout.
So, with Malignaggi begging the question, it is conceivable to think that Inoue – when he walks away from the sport once and for all – will go down as one of the greatest in his generation.
But, first, he needs to take care of business against former world champion Luis Nery in his next fight, before stepping up to featherweight where he will no doubt add to his legacy.
“The Monster” plans to fight three times this year and may even consider moving up to featherweight.