Naoya Inoue did not disappoint in his return flight to Japan after two years.
He TKO Aran Dipaen in the eighth round to retain his IBF and WBA bantamweight world champion and extend his Japan’s boxing record to 17 straight world title wins.
Despite the win, Inoue was not satisfied with his performance.
“I’m sorry it became a fight that fell way below the expected level. Dipaen was really tough.”
“It was good I could enjoy fighting eight rounds in a Japanese ring. Hopefully, we can provide cards that fans want to watch next year,” he said after the sell-out Ryogoku Kokugikan Gym in Tokyo.
With the victory, Inoue continues to assert his case as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, and the next big question for him is ‘who’s next?’
Among the frontrunner is Nonito Donaire, who he defeated in 2019. Donaire, however, became a champion again and is looking for a unification bout and a rematch with the “Japanese Monster.”
