Jeff Fenech vs Naoya Inoue

what weight class are we saying this is at?

 

Compare the pair:

Naoya Inoue
Titles - WBC Light Flyweight, WBO Super Flyweight, Undisputed Bantamweight, WBC-WBO Super Bantamweight
Hall of Famers faced - Nonito Donaire (future). Any others? Emanuel Rodriguez & Stephen Fulton were undefeated when Inoue faced them but I'm not sure they're future HoFer's.

Jeff Fenech
Titles - IBF Bantamweight, WBC Super Bantamweight, WBC Featherweight, WBC Junior Lightweight
Hall of Famers faced - Daniel Zaragoza, Carlos Zarate, Azumah Nelson (three times).

Jeff went 25 and 0 before being held to a controversial draw in the first Azumah Nelson fight. Inoue is currently 25 and 0 with defeat not looking imminent.

Inoue has certainly won more world titles than Jeff including unifying the division at Bantamweight. I've already conceded that division to Inoue when this thread first began.

I think you could make a case for Jeff having faced higher quality opposition over the course of his career. Some of his best opponents weren't Hall of Famers - Steve McCrory (undefeated Olympic gold medalist), Jerome Coffee (undefeated contender), Samart Payakarun (undefeated WBC champ when he met Fenech), Greg Richardson (future WBC Bantam champ), Victor Callejas (WBA Jr Feather champ moving up in weight when Fenech faced him), Georgie Navarro (held a win over Olympic finalist Hector Lopez coming in) & Marcos Villasana (future WBC Featherweight champ). Plenty of very talented fighters in that list of names.

Fenech was rated #3 P4P by US publication KO magazine after winning his third world title. Most would rate Inoue top 3 P4P right now & possibly higher. Jeff had prime Mike Tyson & undefeated Julio Cesar Chavez on the P4P list ahead of him. Inoue shares a top 3 spot with Bud Crawford & Oleksandr Usyk.

 

As of now I'll go with

118: Inoue wins
122: Inoue wins
126: Fenech wins
130: Fenech wins

 

He dominated Nelson and was victim of one of the worst robberies ever.

 

Inoue > Nelson

 

Fenech > Fulton

 

As with all these hypotheticals, it depends on at what weight and which versions of the protagonests. The Fenech who was robbed in Vegas beats Inoue. The younger, less experienced bantamweight Fenech may not.

 

If you scored the first fight 116-112 to Nelson then we can all safely dismiss anything you have to say about boxing.

Fenech won 9 rounds and that is being generous to Azumah.

 

Inoue inoue inoue.

 

Fenech would be all over Inoue like a cheap suit Inoue has never fought anyone with the aggression and workrate of Fenech.

Fenech before getting robbed by Nelson the 1st time was a force of nature, and a H2H nightmare for mostly anyone.

Tough match up for both guys it all depends if Inoue can hurt Fenech and keep him respectable so he doesn't swarm all over him.

 

He did Azumah Nelson the 1st time anyone who has seen it knows that's a legitimate victory.

 

Inoue can hurt him.

 

Possibly but then again Inoue has never fought anyone as tough as a prime Fenech, a late 30s Donaire and Fulton with one of the lowest KO percentages isn't a prime Jeff Fenech who was a force to be reckoned with in his prime.

 

Fenech wasnt a huge puncher either not as big as donaire, but he was a bull and very good on his night. Inoue will fight a strong pressure fighter one day and will probably play right into his hands.