Naoya Inoue Potentially Set to Lose Undisputed Status, per Bob Arum

Only last month, Naoya Inoue defended his undisputed Super-Bantamweight title against Luis Nery. Besides Inoue’s ferocity, the fight exposed the fact that Inoue could be hurt and knocked down on the floor. However, with his patience and IQ, the Japanese boxer fought through adversity and retained his undisputed title which he may lose now.

While boxing fans were yet to recover from the stunning sixth-round KO ‘Monster’ achieved against Nery, the WBA ordered the Japanese boxer to face a mandatory challenger in Murodjon Akhmadaliev who had been longing to establish his greatness over Inoue. However, Inoue’s co-promoter Bob Arum just belittled Akhmadaliev and indicated that Inoue would rather give up his title and lose his undisputed status in the sport than fight a “no-name guy”.

Having lost to Marlon Tapales an opponent Naoya Inoue demolished later, Murodjon Akhmadaliev proudly called himself “smarter, better, and stronger” than anyone ‘Monster’ had faced till then. As a result, he expected a boxing match against “true master” Inoue himself soon. In this context, after Murodjon secured a victory against Kevin Gonzalez, the WBA ordered Inoue to begin and conclude a negotiation with the boxer from Uzbekistan by July 14. But, Bob Arum feels Inoue should rather vacate his WBA title than face a “no-name” Akhmadaliev.

“No chance. Who is this guy? Nobody’s ever heard of him,” said Arum, disapproving of a potential Inoue vs. Murodjon. “We’re not gonna fight a no-name guy in Wembley, Inoue means so much to Japan. It’s the same Inoue with three titles as with four,” he added emphatically. In that case, if Inoue decides to avoid Akhmadaliev and give up his WBA belt, he will no longer remain the undisputed champion at 122 lbs.

So, here one cannot help but wonder about the fight Naoya Inoue, the no. 1 Ring Magazine fighter, will end up taking.

Will Naoya Inoue take the Sam Goodman fight?

When Naoya Inoue ignited Tokyo Dome in his last fight against Luis Nery, mandatory IBF challenger Sam Goodman watched the Japanese boxer perform live. As soon as the fight ended, he entered the ring and demanded a match against Inoue. “Look, I’ve seen enough in the fight to know I can do what I need to do to win that fight,” declared Sam Goodman. Maybe he gained confidence by seeing Nery drop Inoue.

“I’ve got to box my best, but I believe if I do it, I can beat this man,” Sam added energetically. Well now that Arum is averse to Inoue vs. Akhmadaliev, it is very likely that the Japanese boxer will end up taking the Sam Goodman fight. Well, who do you think Inoue should fight next? Do you agree with Bob Arum on Akhmadaliev being a “no-name” in the sport? Let us know in the comments below.