Naoya Inoue's ATG Bantamweight Ranking?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by JOKER, Jan 18, 2023.


Where Does Naoya Inoue Rank All Time At Bantamweight?

  1. The GOAT

  2. Top 5

  3. Top 10

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  1. JOKER

    JOKER Froat rike butterfry, sting rike MFER! banned Full Member

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    Naoya Inoue's Bantamweight Reign (2018 — 2022)

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    • Winner — World Boxing Super Series
    • Became first Undisputed Bantamweight Champion in the 4 belt era
    • KO'd all 4 major beltholders
    • Inoue needed just 47 rounds to clean out the division

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    • Undefeated in over decade
    • Rated #2 by Ring
    • Never been stopped
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    • Had only 1 MD loss Rau'shee Warren
    • Never been stopped
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    • Undefeated
    • IBF Champion
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    • WBA Champion
    • Coming off of highlight reel KOs over Burnett and Young
    • Stopped only once by the much bigger Nicholas Walters
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    • Lost only once to Emmanuel Rodriguez
    • Never been stopped
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    • Bum
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    • Bum, but never been stopped
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    • WBC Champion
    • Donaire was coming off of highlight reel KOs of Oubaali and Gaballo
    • Completely wiped out and destroyed by Inoue
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    • WBO Champion
     
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    #1
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  2. GGGfans

    GGGfans Active Member Full Member

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    Number 1 ahead of Jofre and Harada for me.
     
    GGGfans, Jan 18, 2023
    GGGfans, Jan 18, 2023
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  3. JunlongXiFan

    JunlongXiFan 45-6 in Kirks Chmpionshp Boxing Predictions 2022 Full Member

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    I think he's definitively top 5, but the fact he cleared the division and KOd every single person he fought while doing that makes him #1 for me. I think you could put him as low as 5, but with his dominance/H2H, he's my #1.
     
    JunlongXiFan, Jan 18, 2023
    JunlongXiFan, Jan 18, 2023
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  4. WhataRock

    WhataRock Loyal Member Full Member

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    To early to say.

    Based on his achievements would you really rank him over (in no order) Jofre, Olivares, Panama Al Brown, Manual Ortiz and McGovern?

    Then you got Dixon, Zarate, Harada, Canizales and probably more I'm forgetting.

    The division got some depth yo.
     
    WhataRock, Jan 18, 2023
    WhataRock, Jan 18, 2023
    #4
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  5. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    It's a ****ing good question that I might go to work on right now actually, brief summary early doors:

    9-0 at the weight.

    Ranked guys defeated (TBRB):
    Paul Butler (8)
    Nonito Donaire (2) - New lineal championship established.
    Jason Maloney (8)
    Nonito Donaire (4)
    Emmanuel Rodriguez (6)
    Juan Carlos Payano (9)
    Jamie McDonnell (5)

    That is three visits to the top 5 in 9 fights which is outstanding. The second Donaire fight is great, because that's him beating the best bantamweight in the world excepting himself - nine fights and seven ranked contenders dusted is exceptional for any era.

    His problem as so often the case these days is level of competition. 115 and 122 have naturally diluated the quality at 118lbs which was the best division in boxing for at least two of the past 11 decades. But given that he wa clearly the man for longer than he was lineal, and given the degree to which he meets the eye-test, he's clearly very elite. It is amazing to think of but I suspect his range will be 13-9, which puts him in with guys like Rafael Herrera, Bud Taylor and Joe Lynch. If you pushed me to rank him off so little thought, I'd put him at #9. Bantamweight, for some reason, is the all-time division most dominated by ye-olde fighters. Glorious to see a modern guy in contention.

    That puts him above guys like Johnny Coulon and Chucho Castillo. Castillo beat Ruben Oliveras ffs.
     
    McGrain, Jan 18, 2023
    McGrain, Jan 18, 2023
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  6. JOKER

    JOKER Froat rike butterfry, sting rike MFER! banned Full Member

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    It's not too early, though. Inoue's work at Bantamweight has been completed. And he mopped up the division in spectacularly violent fashion.
     
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    #6
  7. JunlongXiFan

    JunlongXiFan 45-6 in Kirks Chmpionshp Boxing Predictions 2022 Full Member

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    Also The Ring:

    Jamie McDonnell (2)
    Juan Carlos Payano (5)
    Emmanuel Rodriguez (5)
    Nonito Donaire (4)
    Jason Moloney (7)
    Nonito Donaire (2)
    Paul Butler (7)

    5 top 5 wins in that case.

    I know why the Dasmarinas and Dipaen fights happened, but still, such a waste
     
    JunlongXiFan, Jan 18, 2023
    JunlongXiFan, Jan 18, 2023
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  8. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    2 out 9 wasted is nothing - it's totally acceptable to me and I mean that. The ration of meaningful fights is incredible and rare and marks him out as genuinely special.
     
    McGrain, Jan 18, 2023
    McGrain, Jan 18, 2023
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  9. JunlongXiFan

    JunlongXiFan 45-6 in Kirks Chmpionshp Boxing Predictions 2022 Full Member

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    Well, it could grow. Rodriguez could become a HoFer, Moloney could pick up a title, Donaire could still manage another title etc.
     
    JunlongXiFan, Jan 18, 2023
    JunlongXiFan, Jan 18, 2023
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  10. JOKER

    JOKER Froat rike butterfry, sting rike MFER! banned Full Member

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    I think the most impressive thing about Inoue's Bantamweight was that he KO'd McDonnell, Payano, Nonito, and Rodriguez in 6 rounds. Jofre and Harada wouldn't be able to this and it would be unlikely that Zarate and Olivares would be do it under 6 as well. Both could very well KO this group, but in under 6 combined rounds? That's an otherworldly achievement for any fighter to replicate.

    The fighters of old are VASTLY overrated, man.
     
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
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  11. JOKER

    JOKER Froat rike butterfry, sting rike MFER! banned Full Member

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    True, but I think his body of work is still complete, comprehensive, and impressive enough to examine him in at an All Time standing as is.
     
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
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  12. WhataRock

    WhataRock Loyal Member Full Member

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    Exactly what Junlong said.

    With a bit of a marinade, maybe of a little bit of mirin, soy, sesame oil, his legacy at the weight may look even more impressive in time.
     
    WhataRock, Jan 18, 2023
    WhataRock, Jan 18, 2023
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  13. JOKER

    JOKER Froat rike butterfry, sting rike MFER! banned Full Member

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    Pan-seared ahi tuna in fat rendered from a slab of A5 olive wagyu.
     
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    JOKER, Jan 18, 2023
    #13
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  14. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    I think Zarate would do it TBH, and I think Olivares might. but we don't disagree, really, it's pretty special.

    That's ok; you can rate Inoue the best bantamweight in history, I wouldn't mind, it's whatever. Comparing them is werid and complicated for me because Inoue has a clear size advantage because of changes in rules and science in weight-making so really, in a fight, you're looking at 115lb Inoue fighting Kid Williams or whatever it might be.

    What i'm doing is comparing achievements era-on-era, who did what to whom and how, not how I think they'd do if they did fighting (though i'm interested in how they looked versus peers where possible).
     
    McGrain, Jan 18, 2023
    McGrain, Jan 18, 2023
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  15. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Bantamweight is a loaded division, Inoue is proving to be a great fighter but when you start mentioning Harada ,Jofre, Olivares, Canizales and Zarate I can see him dropping some of those fights .Personally I think Zarate would be a nightmare for him trying to get inside and eating big shots on the way.
     
    Reinhardt, Jan 18, 2023
    Reinhardt, Jan 18, 2023
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