Delete please, after finding out he fractured his eye socket, I take back all I said about his stock dropping, most fighters would have not lasted 12 rounds with such an injury
Lol not top 4. Number 1, sure, maybe even number 2 or even 3. But not top 4. You're a joke. Who would've beat Donaire around his weight today except Monster? Who has a win against a fighter as great ALL TIME as Donaire. H2H, Inoue is close to unbeatable as you can get at his weight at the moment. And no one said anything about Loma lol. You're projecting. What a bunch of ****.
I just think a p4p top 3 talent would beat Donaire with ease, sure he had a cut but how many fighters fought on with cuts to dominate. Inoue is an amazing fighter but people overrate him.
Inoue didn't struggle. He fought through a terrible cut that happened in the second round and spent the whole fight protecting it, which opened him up to shots he probably wouldn't have gotten hit with.
Nobody beats Inoue around his weight no chance, maybe Rigo but thats about it. However his division is terrible. 2 months ago there were threads where people said Inoue would KO loma at 126. I still would place Loma, Usyk, Crawford ,GGG and possibly Canelo over him Maybe my post made me look as if I was a hater, I’m not, I’m a fan of his but the expectations need to be put in check.
Hes 4th. 1. Loma 2. Crawford 3. Canelo 4. Inoue That's not bad, #1 is within touching distance, the entire top 5 can be easily shuffled depending on 1-2 wins. To me this just shows how much the minimum divisions sucks though. Even the best at those weights get exposed when they go up to the more stacked weight classes, BW or above. Why I thought Chocolatito was the worst p4p #1 in history.
Donaire rolled back the years and fought the perfect fight what a performance. Even so Inoue won clearly, I had him winning 10 rounds plus the knockdown. Inoue lost his shape for a couple of rounds but recovered fantastically in unknown territory. He showed a champions mindset to go with his physical abilities and will have learnt so much. One of the best fights I’ve ever seen and definitely the best fight I’ve ever seen on a Thursday.
His game plan was skewed. He did try overpowering Donaire. He did pay for it. He thought Donaire would be gone if he hit him the way he hit other guys. Donaire was simply too tanky/big for that and that overextension cost him his later rounds. I don't think this fight exposed Inoue. He needs better head movement defense wise, that's that. But we all know size matters and the KO power does stop somewhere for everyone. If he wanted to box Donaire he could have had a 12-0 match, is what I think. But he chose the hard way. And he didn't falter even after eating bombs on top of another. Big props to both.
people overate every top fighter, thats why a knowledgeable fan doesnt get caught up along with them. you laugh and celebrate when your favorites do well, and you lament and accept when they dont. but your perspective should always stay real. i look at fighters like dogs, or roosters, etc... i dont get emotionally attached cause one dog grew up in my neighborhood, or is the same color skin as i. i look at em like im looking for a stud dog to breed the best fighting dog ever. measure their skill level, wind, pedigree, power, resilience, etc... i would rather know the truth and be discontent, than live a lie and be content.
This was Inoue's first time with a cut. He said he was seeing double after round 2. Yet, he almost stopped Donaire twice, RD11 the ref stopped Inoue from attacking and gave Donaire like 14 sec to recover. Some of the biggest questions for Inoue was, can he take a hit and if he can fight through adversity. I think he showed that tonight against a very game and smart boxer in Donaire. Is he #1 P? No, but I think this fight soldified his place in the top 4.