If you're in or around his weight class and considered one of the top guys, chances are, you’ll find yourself standing across the ring from Naoya Inoue at some point. Considering his violent tendencies, his opponents aren’t having a great time in there.

However, Nick Ball is hoping he’ll get the chance to prove that when Inoue gets mean and destructive, that he has what it takes to match him.

Earlier this month, Ball had an up-and-down performance against TJ Doheny. When it came to strictly boxing, Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was levels above his man. But when things got complicated, the 126-pound belt holder couldn’t keep his cool.

Outside of Ball throwing Doheny to the ground and that bizarre kicking incident, he cruised. With a tenth-round stoppage win under his belt, Ball began pontificating his desire for Inoue to move up and fight him. The Japanese star's future plans are somewhat shrouded in mystery but if he did decide to ditch his 122-pound undisputed throne and head four pounds north, most would give him the edge.

Keyword is most, not all.

He might be in the minority, but Carl Frampton doesn’t believe that Ball would bow down to Inoue and kiss the ring. Instead, he’s confident that Ball would give him the sort of issues he seldom sees.

Fantasy matchups aside, Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) has a kingdom to protect. He’ll defend his Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO titles against Ramon Cardenas on May 4th. He’ll presumably have a few more fights before considering the move to 126 pounds.

At some point, unless he’s beaten, Inoue will head on over to Ball’s neck of the woods. And, since he just so happens to have one of the four major titles wrapped around his waist, Inoue will target him. If and when that does happen, Frampton doesn’t expect the 28-year-old to simply hand his WBA title over. In fact, not only does he believe that Ball would hold onto his belt in a possible matchup, but that Inoue’s perfect record would be a thing of the past.

“I genuinely think he has a very, very good chance at beating him,” said Frampton during an interview with Boxing News. “Styles make fights and Nick Ball’s style gives Inoue nightmares. I think he can win that fight. He would be the favorite for me.”