2014 Fighter of the Year: Naoya "Monster" Inoue

He absolutely was #1 as of when Inoue wrecked him.

You mean the loss to Porpramook? In 2011? Which he later avenged by KO to reclaim his title before making four defenses?

Nietes acquired his title in October 2011. Hernandez's tenure of the WBC, while not continuous (broken up by the loss to and rematch victory over Porpramook) began in April 2011. As of April 2014, when Hernandez fought Inoue, he was 7-1 (5) in world title bouts at light flyweight since his 1st reign began. Nietes was 3-0-1 (1) in light fly world title bouts in that span, facing much weaker opposition than Hernandez's, except for Moises Fuentes and that was a draw.

No. As of April of this year, when Hernandez vs. Inoue happened, Nietes wasn't the Ring champion. He didn't become that until Nietes vs. Fuentes II, which only got made for the vacant Ring championship because Hernandez, the previous #1 by acclamation, had lost to Inoue, then a novice with no other solid wins yet to justify being #1 even though he bumped off the previous top man. After that, when Hernandez dropped because of the loss, they made #1 Nietes vs. #3 Fuentes (skipping over #2 Ioka because he was announced to move up to flyweight already) have the vacant Ring Mag title at stake.

Incidentally, TBRB had Nietes #3 and Fuentes #9...

:?

What claim?

In that span where Hernandez was 2x WBC champ and Nietes held the WBO strap, from late 2011- early 2014, Casimero - rebounding from back-to-back losses - racked up four IBF world title victories - the same # as Nietes. He took his belt off that nasty old title hoarding troll, Lazarte, in his forties. Not a great W, really (though he did the division a service by lifting the belt off that cheating fraud and frequent home-officiating recipient). His best defense, in hindsight, was Guevara, though until this morning Guevara didn't hold a single notable non-domestic (that is, not in Mexico against a fellow Mexican) victory. Otherwise, he beat White Bread Rios and Salguero - who challenged Nietes the year before and had then been knocked out by Rios in an eliminator, so he shouldn't have even gotten a crack at Casimero anyway.

Overall the quality compares favorably with Hernandez's outside Porpramook II, there just isn't enough of it. (and no single W matches Porpramook II)

It has been shallow for a while, yes. Outside the belt holders (at one time Hernandez WBC/Nietes WBO/Ioka WBA/Casimero IBF - now Guevara WBC/Nietes WBO/Rossel WBA regular & Petalcorin WBA interim/Mendoza IBF) it has lacked depth for years. Hence all the weak challengers with spotty records.

It might be weaker than ever right now. Nietes, Petalcorin, and Guevara are solid but Mendoza and Rossel make for a very diluted title picture.

Old by conventional logic yes, but has still kept a very busy schedule for a super flyweight in his late thirties even after the cash-out loss to Donaire: he fought thrice each in the last three years, going 8-0 (4) in world title defenses in between Donaire and Inoue, without any tuneups or non-title affairs, twice repelling a very good challenger in Orucuta.

If you want to discredit Inoue's destruction of Narváez you must also discredit Kovalev's shutout of the even older Hopkins. (who in the not too distant past had lost decisively to Dawson in the rematch while actually trying, whereas Narváez survived the distance with a p4p better champion and much bigger man in Donaire)

I agree but he was the one climbing two weight classes to challenge Narváez...

Cuadras is younger and more powerful (and was a decent amateur) but has far less skill, guile and experience than Narváez. In a cleanly officiated contest without headbutts I can't imagine him fending Inoue off. Cuadras was a good amateur, is a good pro; Inoue was a great amateur, shaping up already to be maybe a great pro.

Yes, legitimate challengers but neither would be Inoue's best W. That will remain Narváez unless he either climbs up again or drops in weight to meet either Gonzalez or Estrada.

Concepción in particular I give very little chance because of his chin and Gatti-like tendencies to discard his craft and rumble. Like with Cuadras, his own power just won't be much of a factor as we have seen no warning signs of Inoue packing glass.

For me, a dead certainty. Head and shoulders the most.

 

True, but even though he looked ripe for the picking (against both Chelo, which many forget, with Burns very fortunate the Puerto Rican proved lacking in championship heart - and Beltran) Burns still did have the belt and his initial lightweight run of Katsidis/Moses/Mitchell was respectable. If we're nitpicking that aggressively, whose accomplishments stand up? Ruenroeng's dubious nod over Ioka, for instance, has to be thrown out if we're pooh-poohing Crawford's feat of going into Burns' own backyard to snatch his title, in a schooling.

As for Beltran, he wasn't overrated. He should've been crowned in Scotland, was robbed twice previously against Ramos & Bogere, and has nice victories over Lundy and Usmanee. Beltran is world class, and Crawford outclassed him.

Small or no, Gamboa was on many p4p lists at one point and was still undefeated and in his prime (and had beaten a very good lightweight in Perez and before that a big strong 130lber in Farenas, so no, you can't say he was too small for 135lbs) when Crawford knocked him out in Omaha.

You can try shredding any man's deeds, but what's special about Crawford's 2014 (along with Inoue's - and to a lesser extent Kovalev's and Gonzalez's) is that you can try but you can't really get away with it.

:good

...but much harder to do convincingly for the special few.

 

Well, I was gonna say that you'd dropped Grigory Drozd's name (rounding out your ten best, I believe?) - I'd forgotten he squeezed in a CW Euro title defense before he dethroned Diablo.

I don't know who, then. Everybody in my OP has won (let alone fought) twice in the calendar year, as has Khan.

Who're you referring to, moff?

 

Twelve debutantes in the last 5 years! atsch

Even the infamous Pong (who I respect, btw, just pointing out that he took on lots of nickel-and-dime tuneups) was never that bad! He only fought six debutantes in five years between 2008 and 2013.

 

In less than fifty rounds in the pros, Inoue's credentials include:

Japanese light flyweight champion
Oriental & Pacific light flyweight champion
WBC light flyweight champion
WBO super flyweight champion

That is crazy.