Naoya Inoue’s Possible Three Opponents After KO Win Over Marlon Tapales: Is Gervonta Davis on His Hit List Next?

In the end, ‘The Monster’ just devoured the ‘Nightmare.’ In a span of 12 months, Naoya Inoue became an undisputed champion for the second time. Delivering what was expected of him, the 30-year-old Japanese boxing superstar knocked out Marlon Tapales from the Philippines in the tenth round.

He follows Terence Crawford as the second man to become a two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Full credit goes to Tapales for his raw courage. But he had such a daunting challenge at hand. Naoya Inoue’s power, speed, and ring IQ proved too much for the tough Filipino. Now it’s back to the obvious question. What’s next for Inoue? Who is he going to fight first in 2024? For a 122-pound champion, some have even gone the whole distance, savvy a big fight against none other than Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis!

Naoya Inoue: The divisional challenges

Given how the pieces are set on the drawing board, there is a strong rumor of Naoya Inoue going against the division’s WBC challenger, Luis Nery. The 29-year-old, Tijuana-born Mexican with a knockout-to-win rate of 77% comes with a formidable reputation, having lost only one bout to Brandon Figueroa two years ago. This year, he fought twice, winning both via knockouts.

Then there is Murodjon Akhmadaliev. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro bantamweight bronze medalist incidentally lost his WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight titles to Marlon Tapales on April 8 of this year in a split decision. The tough Uzbek, whose 75% of the wins came through knockouts, appears to be a strong contender to face Inoue. Matchroom, which seems to promote him, apparently sent a taunting message to ‘The Monster’ yesterday.

Finally, there could be the undefeated Australian Sam Goodman. He is currently the number one in the IBF and WBO rankings. The New South Wales resident, though, falls short when it comes to stopping his opponents early. Interestingly, he entered the ring four times this year, taking all his opponents the whole distance.

‘The Monster’ versus ‘The Tank’

Given the fearsome reputation Naoya Inoue enjoys, an obvious comparison with another heavy hitter, Gervonta Davis, often crops up. Apparently, when reached, the Baltimorean sounded quite upbeat about the matchup. But cautioned that he might be ‘too big’ for the Japanese boxer.

On the other hand, mentor and guide Floyd Mayweather Jr. seemed fine for a fight between the two, but subject to certain conditions. He said, “What I need Inoue to do is to come fight in the USA, random blood and urine testing. I think he’s a helluva fighter. He takes a lot of stuff from my playbook. But it’s okay; you’re supposed to take from the greats. I would like to see him fight Gervonta Davis at a catchweight.”

But then there are others who seem quite skeptical about the fight since Inoue needs to climb two divisions up to meet the American boxer. Among them, former champion Carl Frampton said, “No doubt Inoue is a generational great. But the talked-about fight with Tank would be an absolute mismatch. I’m not even sure he beats the top featherweights.” Then Inoue’s promoter, Bob Arum, seemed outright against the proposition.

He said, “Inoue started at 108, and now he’s worked his way up to 122. He is a tremendous star in Japan; virtually nobody in Japan knows who Tank Davis is, and why would Inoue now who is undersized at 122, talk about fighting a guy who’s essentially a junior welterweight a 140 pounds? It makes absolutely no sense. I mean, no sense.”

Arum even brought in Shakur Stevenson, stating that even he might be too big an opponent for Naoya Inoue. According to the live report available on Sky Sports, there’s a high probability Naoya Inoue will stay back in the 122-pound division, at least for the next year. During the post-fight in-ring interview, he gave a hint about a tentative May return.

Read More: “He’s a Mean Son of a B**ch”: Mike Tyson Seen Marveling at Naoya Inoue’s Performance in a Resurfaced Clip

What’s your take on the probables against Inoue? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Who is Marlon Tapales, Naoya Inoue’s next opponent for December 26?