Comparision is often considered to be a sign of healthy competition in the boxing realm. It is after all a sport in which two fighters collide to determine who amongst them is the better one. While throughout history such comparisons have been normalized, there are some that just don’t add up. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. Or in this case, comparing Manny Pacquiao to Naoya Inoue. Both the pound-for-pound boxers have time and again proven their worth by giving their opponents a taste of defeat they would never forget. But drawing parallels between the two? Fans would not have it.

Generating $1.25 billion in revenue, Pacquiao has delivered one of the most profitable fights in boxing history. His fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2015 is in fact the highest revenue-generating bout ever. Being one of the most revered fighters ever, his boxing prowess helped him generate an enormous amount of wealth for himself. He made history by becoming the only eight-division world champion ever. For the most part, it is highly agreeable that no fighter can possibly match up to his prowess. But can Inoue come even a little closer to it?

Not the next Manny Pacquiao, but the first Inoue

An argument can be made about how it is unfair for rising sensations to be pitted against hall-of-fame boxers.  In this case,  ‘Pac-man’ is for sure a boxer who heavily inspires rising prospects, so much so, that it is unfair to expect them to be the next him. For they all have their own journeys to navigate. A few fans seem to concur with this sentiment.

A post shared on Instagram highlighted the no of weight divisions the Japanese fighter still has to conquer to reach Pac-man’s record of having won championships in 8 different weight classes. The former currently has championships in four weight classes till now. The video in the post is an excerpt from the fight between Inoue and Nonito Donaire. The fighters have clashed on two occasions in the boxing ring. In the 2019 fight, Inoue won via a unanimous decision, while the 2022 fight saw him emerge victorious through KO.

One fan seemed to not understand the comparison at all citing Inoue’s weight. They said, “He maxes out at 130. He goes up higher than 130.. he will lose.” Right now, the Japanese Boxer Inoue fights in the super bantamweight. A rare weight class in which fighters touch the scale of 122 pounds.

There are a lot of speculations about Gervonta Davis and Inoue clashing in a lightweight bout. Suggesting that such an undertaking would see the latter lose, a user commented, “Imagine what Tank would do to him.”

A user rightly resounded the sentiment of letting fighters make their own legacy rather than pushing them to pursue others’. The user said, “We don’t need to compare Inoue and Pacquiao… let Inoue cook his own legacy.”

A user talking about this matchup between Inoue and Deontay said, “People in comments complaining bro thats nonito donaire some people thought donaire gonna be next parqiao. Inoue still knocked him he even won the rematch.”

However, as reports of the fighter potentially moving up the weight class to lightweight emerge, a user pondered upon how his career would shape in the weight class. The user said, “At welterweight 147, imagine he’s fighting Thurman, Spence, Ugas or Boot Ennis. At Lightweight he’s fighting Ryan Garcia, Tank Davis, Pittbull Cruz.”

Also Read: Despite Manny Pacquiao Wanting To Do Noble Deed For His Country, Reigning World Champion Doubts His Chances Against “Better Amateurs”

In addition to leaving behind a legacy that is unmatched, Pac-man has sought permission from the Olympic Committee to let him represent his nation at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In a bid to bring gold back to his country, the fighter in his forties seems undeterred in his quest to further his boxing legacy. Naoya Innoue on the other hand maintained his unbeaten record this year by defeating Stephen Fulton via TKO in the month of July this year.

Will the Japanese fighter ever beat Pacquiao’s record of being an 8-division champion? Let us know in the comments section below.

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