Although the climb appears endless,
Naoya Inoue is seemingly reaching his final floor.
For years now, the pound-for-pound Japanese star has entered divisions at his leisure and picked up title after title, savagely destroying recognizable names and bigger opponents in the process.
Currently, Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) holds all four titles at 122 pounds and has several fights left before he decides to move on to the featherweight division.
Matchups against Nick Ball and Rafael Espinoza are seemingly at the top of his list at 126.
In the minds of many, Inoue, 32, would be only a couple of weight classes away from the likes of
Gervonta Davis and
Shakur Stevenson once he makes his move. But, for fans fantasizing about those showdowns, or Inoue trying his hand at 130, prepare to be disappointed.
“Yes, featherweight is my limit,” Inoue told
The Ring during a recent interview. “I’m not interested in going any higher. If I were 170 cm tall, it would be different. But there is a limit to how much I can build frame-wise. Even at junior featherweight, I’m building muscle one by one, building up my physique and taking on the challenge.”
Inoue has always been a bit of a forward thinker. Since his move to 122, things haven’t been a cakewalk, having been dropped in two of his last four fights. Though that didn’t stop him from going on to
violently stop Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas, Inoue is well aware of what lies ahead once he takes another step four pounds north.
Inoue is a warrior, and he wants to push himself to the limit. If he feels comfortable and confident at 126, he may change his mind.
“I haven’t even tried featherweight yet, so I can’t think about going higher than that.”