Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. vs. Naoya Inoue

The Monster mid rounds KO; I think he might even carry Donaire a bit.

 

He is past his best so its not past the relm of possibility

 

I've now gone back and watched a number of Inoue's fights. I think he's a phenomenon and I definitely think he beats Donaire at this stage. I see a lot of people saying he stops Donaire though and I'm just not sure of that. Donaire is a tough SOB, and it took him ballooning way beyond his proper weight class combined with him fighting the giant monster/apex predator at the time of that weight class to pummel him and stop him (the only person that has). I just don't see a stoppage happening. Am I missing something?

 

Nudge towards Pac? Hes already a great fighter.

But really though who has Inoue really beaten? Not trying to tear anybody down but if you're going to put that much stock in a win over Inoue let's actually see who he has beaten.

He hasnt even defeated a Gary Russel Jr caliber fighter.

Inoue is talented for sure but who has he really beaten?

 

I guess but when Pacquiao fought guys like Barrera, Cotto, Hatton, Sasakul, Morales they were all proven against higher level competition than Inoue was. Sometimes glaringly so.

Only Marquez was relatively unproven among the best opposition.

I'm just saying we see this stuff all the time. It happens constantly in boxing. Broner and Hamed were the p4p superstars and would destroy all man according to everybody. Why? Because they beat Kevin Kelly and Antonio DeMarco?

Is that the resume of a top 5 p4p fighter?

Donaire is a 36 year old bantamweight. Which in bantamweight years is more like 57. If Inoue cannot dispatch Donaire without resistance then maybe hes just not what hes been sold as. Even so 57 year old Donaire is by far his toughest test. Which tells you a lot about how good Donaire is and how Broner like Inoues resume is.

 

@IntentionalButt

You ain't fillin' Gennadiy Vs. Devery?

 

seriously I think that's how it will go.Inoue will have a look in round one and go to town on him in round two.

 

I will cause I totally agree.You get the feeling Inoue can get the KO whenever the mood takes him?which is usually round one or two lol.

 

If you really want to get specific about smack in their prime stuff then it gets tricky.

Tommy Hearns wasnt at his absolute prime against Leonard. He would improve after that loss. But that version of Hearns would have beaten 99 percent of Welterweight champs anyways. SRL lost to an already slightly past his absolute prime version of Duran. Then beat a fat version. SRL should still be held in high regard anyways.

Or Barrera in the first fight schooled a slightly green Morales. As Morales absolute prime was the 2nd fight. But isnt that really sort of petty and splitting hairs?That version of Morales would have beaten just about any 122 pound champ in history even if not in his absolute prime.

I thought Sergey Kovalev beat Andre Ward. And Ward was past his absolute, pure best. Yet that version of Ward beats virtually any LHW champ ever.

There is a difference between beating a guy who is ever so slightly removed from his absolute top form and a guy who is like Kessler in the Froch rematch. A guy who is clearly not the same guy even if not remotely shot at the same time.

Most fighters absolute peak lasts a year, maybe two at most. We are talking about 1-3 fights for most guys.

Donaire is far past it.