Inoue: I wanted to win by KO & this isn't a manga

In the fourth round, a clean left hook landed on the chin after a variety of body attacks. After staggering his opponent, Inoue followed up with a triple combination of left hook, right straight, and another left hook, causing his opponent to drop to both knees. However, he couldn't finish the fight at that moment. In the fifth round, he faced a counterattack with right hooks, right uppercuts, and body shots. From the seventh round onwards, Tapales changed his style to a defensive L-shaped guard, making it challenging for Inoue to land punches. The match concluded in the tenth round.

"Although I thought I could win on points if I continued comfortably, I still wanted to win by knockout," Inoue admitted. The knockout punch was a two-time one-two combination that penetrated Tapales' guard, hitting his temple.

"I aimed for that. When you throw a powerful punch even above the guard, it accumulates significant damage. It felt like I broke through," Inoue explained. Despite the unanimous praise from the world for his knockout victory, some, including former boxers and social media, mentioned the challenges and the perceived "weight class barrier."

"Weight class barrier, struggling, (comments on the internet after the match) I often hear those things. But what can I do if people say that with this performance?" Inoue smiled wryly. "Tapales is a champion. It's nice to have expectations from others, but it's tough. Well, I'm pretty unscathed. Isn't it good to become a two-weight champion in ten fights?"

Inoue, appearing at the press conference the next day with a flawless face, seemed bewildered. His father and trainer, Shingo, sitting beside him, commented, "If it had ended in the fourth round, it would have been like a manga world. People would have underestimated boxing. (Tapales) worked so hard, and considering the experience, it's good that the idea of 'let's do even better' came out." Chairman Hidetoshi Ohashi also added, "The scoring, too. One judge gave a perfect score."

Inoue expressed frustration, saying, "I complain that if I take one or two punches, people think I'm struggling... This isn't a manga."

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ac07001084832037d8e85752fce64913b08ab639

 

No kidding

This was round 12 of the Carmona fight where he broke or bruised his right in round 4/5, same with the Sano fight where he broke his right in the 2nd & he just kept trying to get the stoppage with his left which he managed to do in round 10 after dropping Sano once before. He stopped Narvaez in round 2 after breaking the right hand in round 1 & would have stopped Donaire in their first fight if not for the ref

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"A rarely talked about memorable scene from Naoya Inoue, wrapped in applause in the final 12th round with a soulful rush】 While there are moments of excitement with exchanges in the last few seconds of the 12th round, there are not many players who unleash a rush with the intent of genuinely knocking out their opponent. Moreover, in the fatigued state of the 12th round, with a points advantage and both fists injured. He always dazzles us. Looking forward to the match!"

 

People forget in his PBF days when Floyd actually bothered to give a show to fans not just coasting to potshot UD's he also took shots while stopping people. Now they act like he never got touched

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WBO World Super Flyweight Champion Naoya Inoue (Ohashi) faced the number one ranked challenger, David Carmona of Mexico, in his second title defense on the 8th at the Ariake Coliseum, winning by a wide unanimous decision. Despite being the first decision victory in his fifth world title match, it didn't live up to expectations, but once again, it highlighted the champion's exceptional status.

"I'm sorry for spectacularly betraying everyone's expectations!"

Immediately after the match, these words from Inoue condensed the significance of this bout. Inoue Naoya was expected to deliver an overwhelming performance and a stunning knockout victory...

Why did Inoue slow down the pace from the second round?

However, Inoue, without rushing to finish, gently decelerated as if lightly placing his foot on the brakes upon entering the second round. Was it because Carmone's defense was unexpectedly good? The fact revealed by Inoue himself after the match was that "an abnormality occurred in his right fist." In other words, he had injured his right fist.

At this point, the impactful and overwhelming victory became a thorny path.

Unable to land powerful blows, Inoue kept his distance and controlled the match with speed in and out. Considering the condition of his fist, he decided to go for broke in the fifth round. Although he landed several right straights and attacked Carmone, the opponent didn't fall to the canvas as before. It might have been due to Carmone's durability, but there was still an impact on the fist, and the power of the punches seemed to have diminished somewhat.

Feeling that he could no longer "strongly hit with the right" by the sixth round, Inoue clearly shifted to boxing focused on using his left foot from the seventh round. In fact, it was at this time that he informed his corner about the abnormality in his right fist. Even his father and trainer, Shingo Inoue, was in a state where he couldn't offer advice, saying, "If the fist can't be used, there's nothing to advise."

Inoue, who well understood the mission imposed on himself.

Inoue skillfully controlled the game with just his left side, contemplating how to achieve a KO victory while engaging in a dialogue with the state of his fists.

"Impatience? No, there was no impatience to lose. However, there was a desire to have impactful matches after performing well in the last two fights. It wasn't a problem to dominate and score points using my legs, but..."

While the opponent may not be a famous player, he was the top-ranked challenger with a decent track record. Even in perfect condition, an overwhelming victory is not an easy task.

Nevertheless, Inoue boldly attacked, aiming for a victory with impact.

This champion fully understands the mission imposed on himself.

In the final 12 rounds, he decided in his heart, "It's the last one, so I have to go for it." Although a KO victory didn't materialize, he managed to secure a knockdown in the end, demonstrating the champion's pride in a challenging situation.

https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/825645