Narvaez vs Inoue: The Two Jabs of Naoya Inoue By Connor Ruebusch@BoxingBusch Dec 29, 2014, 1:28pm EST Naoya Inoue is a fighter to restore one's faith in the sport of boxing. After a decorated amateur career in which he went 75-6 with 48 KOs--keep in mind, that means 48 knockouts within just three rounds apiece--Inoue decided to go pro. For most boxers, "going pro" means facing a string of no-names, debutantes, and career-long losers. For Inoue, however, it was time to step up. Joining the famed Ohashi Boxing Gym in Yokohama, Japan, Inoue signed an agreement promising never to fight easy competition of his own accord. So far, he's kept true to that promise. Combined, Inoue's professional opponents to this point boast a record of 124-26-10. There are only seven names on the 21 year-old's resume, but they are big ones, the most recent one standing head and shoulders above the rest. April 6th, 2014, Inoue faced Adrian Hernandez, holder of the WBC light flyweight belt and number one 108 pounder on the planet. It took Inoue, who was himself unranked at the time, a mere six rounds to get the win. More impressive than the win itself, however, is the way in which it came about. It looked, for all the world, like the 5-0 Japanese prospect vehemently defending his belt against the 29-2 Mexican. From the opening bell, it was Inoue in charge of the action, pushing the pace, and chasing the champion around the ring. Inoue marched forward behind an endless barrage of fast, powerful punches. As surprising as it was to watch Inoue treat the top fighter in his division like this, his goals and aims are always the same. As a pressure fighter, Inoue has vast potential, even beyond the greatness he has already realized in his young career, and he achieves his suffocating forward momentum with a dangerous left hand. In addition to his hook, Inoue possesses a very effective jab--or rather, two very effective jabs, which he mixes up beautifully to keep his opponents off-balance, tentative, and open to his powerful knockout punches. Today we will examine Inoue's jabs to gain a better understanding of this enigmatic fighter--this champion novice--as he gets set to face his toughest challenge yet, 11-time super flyweight and 17-time flyweight champion Omar Narvaez... This constant variation of rhythm and power makes Inoue a very difficult fighter with whom to contend. His confidence in his own abilities is obviously very great, and it grows round-by-round as he breaks his opponents down with speed, power, and sheer force of will. Narvaez will be the greatest opponent he has ever faced, and the odds are great that Inoue will falter for the first time in his professional career on New Year's Eve. However, the odds were against him against Adrian Hernandez as well, and Inoue rose to the occasion in spectacular fashion. Whether or not he wins, Naoya Inoue is a fighter to watch and admire, both for his credible skills, and his courageous approach to one of the toughest sports on earth. https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/12...jabs-harada-leonard-boxing-technique-analysis Rest of the article at the link
Thanks for posting this. I remember reading it way back when in anticipation for Inoue jumping 2 weight divisions to fight Narvaez.
