Is Naoya Inoue the most ducked boxer in the world ?

Is Naoya Inoue the current most ducked boxer in the world ?

After I criticized Inoue's record and his challengers, it must be pointed out that he was avoided by many champions or even former champions of his time in his weight classes.

108 lbs : Akira Yaegashi moved up to the next weight class when Inoue entered it; they were both promoted by Ohashi and trained at the same Ohashi Gym in Yokohama. However, Yaegashi made it clear he never wanted to fight Naoya Inoue, who, despite being only about 15 years old at the time, regularly defeated Yaegashi in sparring. Yaegashi was already a confirmed world champion at 108 lbs and later at 112 lbs, sometimes it's said that Yaegashi didn't want make sparring with Inoue again when Inoue was a world champion at 108 lbs (Light Flyweight).

112 lbs : Juan Carlos Reveco, The reason that Inoue moved up from 108 lbs to 115 lbs is as follows. They offered a 112 lbs fight (Flyweight) against the reigning WBA champion Juan Carlos Reveco, intending to push Inoue up to 112 lbs. His promoter, Osvaldo Ribero, refused the offer but came back with a counter-offer for Omar Narvaez at 115 lbs , as he was promoting both Argentinians. Ohashi accepted the offer. Here it is not Reveco's fault in itself, who may have preferred a more lucrative fight against Kazuto Ioka, but we do not know if he also assessed as risky the fact of facing the Japanese man who had just beaten Adrian Hernandez by KO in 6 rounds in his 6th pro fight.

At 115 lbs (Super Flyweight) he was avoided by the 4 kings: Cuadras, Estrada, Chocolatito and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and although some no longer had the title they never sought to challenge the Japanese. Luis Concepcion (Ohashi initially offered a unification bout to Luis Conception, who had defeated Japanese champion Kohei Kono. Concepcion declined the fight to face Khalid Yafai. Inoue defended his title against former champion Kohei Kono). Jerwin Ancajas (hard to find somes proofs about that but in 2018 Ohashi contacted Jerwin Ancajas for the unification, but the Filipino says that he was not a good form for the fight).


At 118 lbs (Bantamweight), neither Rigondeaux ( Rigondeaux called out Inoue and was invited to the WBSS where he would have inevitably locked horns with the Monster... Rigondeaux declined saying he couldn't make 118 only to drop back down to 118 a year later and fight 4X there...) , John Riel Casimero (who always spoke of Inoue without any intention of signing the contracts) , Rau'shee Warren, Gary Antonio Russell, Khalid Yafai, Zolani Tete (who said that he have a injury and cancelled the fight in WBSS after the Inoue's performance against Emmanuel Rodriguez).

At 122 lbs (Super Bantamweight), he recently called out Bam Rodriguez, but received no response. Sam Goodman was also mysteriously injured, which caused the fight to be cancelled.