Before 2025 starts: your retrospection on Inoue's Super Bantam run.

Not too shabby, will be ended by Nakatani in 2025 though.

 

Nakatani has 118 to worry about, and he seems to be focusing on that division. Every title holder is Japanese, so I would hold a grudge against Nakatani if he did not partake in at least one unification.
Also, Nasukawa is on the rise too.

 

I will get flack for this by the hardcore Inoue fans, but it's a dominant run over relatively weak opposition. Fulton is obviously a very good win, but he isn't really above ''good champ'' level. While Tapales and Nery are very run of the mill champions. Doheny is just there for stat padding so that Inoue has another win over a top 10 ranked fighter, but he was an old man who lost to everyone at the world level the past 5 years.

Not Inoue's fault, but it is what it is. Inoue is obviously elite (look at the way he dog walked them all) and his overall resume in comparison to most of his contemporaries allows him a P4P top 3 spot, but imo he needs to test himself by beating MJ and then moving on to 126. If he manages to clean beat the likes of Leo, Figueroa, Ball, Lopez, Vargas and Espinoza, then I will have no complaints.

 

Weak division, but he’s done what he’s supposed to do with it being the exceptional fighter that he is.

 

Nasukawa is a long way away from a title shot. Nakatani can have 3 fights in 25, 2 unifications and ending with him v Inoue on NYE.

 

Nery KOd a HoFer dominantly 2x, wouldn't call him run of the mill

 

Yamanaka was about done at that point, he had already considered retirement after that first fight. Not to mention Nery was on PEDs and overweight.

 

Sorry, shouldn't have called Yamanaka a HoFer. He was a very good champ on a 13 title fight win streak who had won his last two digits by KO, including over longtime champion Anselmo Moreno, who had just lost his title. Hard to degrade that victory. He also beat Hovhannisyan, who got robbed vs Rey Vargas. Maybe you could say he was average if you're harsh, but he's definitely been one of the best small guys from 118-122 for awhile.

 

No need to apologise for that. He certainly deserves HOF status more than some others who are already in or most likely will go in.

 

Ranked 6 by the WBO, and he is fighting Moloney next.

 

Yeah, if he beats Moloney he might take a title fight after. He's close for sure

 

I believe it's the best run in the division since Gomez.

 

Weak division? Seriously ydksab. These are small fighters and not popular like the heavier weight classes, but they are generally packed with high class and competitive fighters. Fulton was too big, then Nery. After Inoue starched them they have become weak? Guys of this quality would be avoided like the plague by the likes of Davis, Canelo, Charlos, Boots and co.

There are a handful of truly great fighters in this era; Usyk, Beterbiev, Loma, and Inoue.