Most important fight for Naoya Inoue's resume: Bam, Nakatani or Espinoza

Espinoza and Nakatani

 

I think Nakatani

Even though Bam is rated higher on the pound for pound scale he is much smaller

Espinoza isnt rated that highly yet.

 

Looks like we might see Inoue against Bam in the future after all. Perhaps late 2026 if he gets by Nakatani. That's gonna be another exciting fight for Inoue. Let's see what happens.

 

early 2027. bam gets a decision win. becomes ring #1 p4p fighter in the world.

 

But what if Inoue beats Bam next year? Does he earn his #1 P4P ranking?

 

yes, inoue would get the #1 spot.
i am taking everything into consideration with my prediction. by the time they fight, the boxing machine will be looking for a reason to crown him #1. thats how good he will look plowing his way towards inoue. his skills are so obvious, that even those that dksab boxing can see how clean he operates. high level boxing is a game of inches, bam separates himself in feet.

 

Time will tell, nothing is ever guaranteed. Bam is the goods for sure but I just think Inoue is on a different level even at this stage.

 

Perhaps Bam's team might try and start negotiations assuming Inoue is able to beat Nakatani next year. If all things go well for Inoue in the next couple months we might see this fight before the end of 2026. Here's hoping.

 

monster has deservedly been the man of the lower divisions for good reason, hes legit. thats why it makes bams victory over him so significant.
bam is a more complete fighter than inoue, but what inoue does well, he does really well. i just think that when they start asking questions of each other in the ring, inoue will run out of answers sooner.

 

I still think you’re selling Inoue short when it comes to his skills who is clearly not just a puncher but a really high IQ technician who can easily outbox elite boxers if he chose to do so. Hes just as multidimensional as Bam if not a little more. Inoue beating Bam is simply not out of the question, and vice versa.

Who knows, maybe Inoue vs Bam could very well be the next Canelo vs Crawford in terms of highly anticipated super fight. If Nakatani doesn’t crash that party of course.

 

i dont underestimate inoue at all, he is a great fighter, highly skilled and very intelligent. above everyone else not called bam. i just think bam can do more, in more situations. and even if you take what i say as true, inoue can still stop bam. he has some equalizers on him. this is boxing, fighters get hit, and inoue can end it with one. i just think bam is performing at a higher level of execution.

 

A win over Nakatani is not going to make him the GOAT Japanese.