Yeah, Olivares is too old now... Just kidding. Sure. He hits hard and accurate enough and Olivares could be dropped and hurt. I would pick Olivares because I know he could box and be disciplined if need be, but he’d have to be in top shape. I have a feeling if Inoue stays to 118 for 2-3 years he’ll be one of the greats there. Top 10 at least.
Yeah, probably. Not to seem like I'm going crazy in the post fight hype, but Olivares' chin and weight making issues means that sure, Inoue has a chance. I wouldn't pick him or anything, he's far too unproven for that (and he is pretty damn proven, tbf) and tbh, I think he's a bad style for Olivares with the power and straight punching. But no, as of now, I feel like you just have to pick Olivares. He's just better and more proven.
Inoue has a chance against anybody. He Could be the best boxer in history, but bantamweight division today is not so strong. His resume will suffer of lack great scalps... Unfortunately
I’m picking Olivares or any great Bantam over Inoue. A win over Jason Maloney doesn’t change that. Donaire is still the only dangerous fighter he’s faced, and he had Inoue hurt and gave him a real struggle throughout. All while at least 5 years past his best and going on 37 years old. The big fights were there for him at 115. If he’s not gonna face that kind of opponent at 118 or 122, then he needs several more years dominating at this level for me to consider him up there with those guys.
Too early for me to say as of right now because Inoue is just rising up still. Inoue has the goods and he could very likely be one of the best at the lower weights but time will tell. You can't compare Inoue to a legit ATG just yet. For now I have to pick the more proven fighter Olivares. I don't think Inoue has beaten anyone with the talents and skills of a Lionel Rose yet.
Olivares. Even the 'modern' style argument of size doesn't hold weight (get it?), considering the massive weight jump Olivares did, and that his resume is actually still better than Inoue's at said weight, let alone Bantam. This isn't to rag on Inoue, the best current fighter imo, but you are comparing him to a man who is arguable the No.1 H2H fighter ever at 118, and has the resume to back that argument up. Also, Inoue is immensely effective, but I don't actually think he is the most talented Japanese fighter in the past 30 years. He is just the best schooled and a brilliant puncher.
I think both Hasegawa and Tatsuyoshi were much more talented than Inoue, but Inoue is better than them, if that makes sense. Takayama could also be included I guess, since he went straight pro at 17 with no AM experience whatsoever, and became a very solid and skilled world champion. Unlike the others, especially Tats, Inoue has been brought along fantastically well since his teens and has had no serious incidents to derail him from Boxing. Even guys like Yaegashi etc, while I wouldn't put him above Inoue in terms of talent, were special and would have really benefited from having better Boxing schooling in certain areas IMO. Jiro doesn't need to be mentioned tbh, since he was so talented (like Hasegawa, Tatsuyoshi etc) and had massive experience and schooling to back it up (he was top 5 in the world for Kempo), which made him one of the best Japan has produced. Japan doesn't like talking about him anymore though.
Yeah, I agree. I think those guys were underdeveloped compared to Inoue, but just as talented, if not moreso. And I agree that at this point Inoue is definitely a better fighter (but not more accomplished, yet). I think that Inoue's mindset is what partly makes him superior to those guys. Tats, Yaegashi and to a lesser extent, Hozumi liked to brawl too much and got worse results due to it. Don't get me wrong, Inoue has a bit of dog in him too, but I think he'd go more defensive if he wasn't in control as opposed to Joe's method of getting even more aggressive. And TBH, I think Inoue is actually the fourth best Jap ever already (sounds mad, dunnit?). My list would go: Harada at #1; Jiro at #2; Ebihara at #3, and Inoue at #4.
I know that a lot of classic forum members hate rating current fighters, but I like it! (if I'm proven to be terribly wrong in the future... whatever! So be it... Nobody died). But I'll nonetheless pick Olivares here for now, and with some degree of confidence, too.
