It's not under the circumstances Naoya Inoue or Top Rank Boxing expected when they signed a high-profile agreement, but Inoue makes his long-awaited Top Rank debut in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Inoue, of Japan, puts both of his bantamweight world titles on the line against Australia's Jason Moloney inside the Top Rank Bubble at the MGM Grand Convention Center. Inoue is one week shy of a year out from his last victory, a war of attrition against future boxing Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire.
Inoue suffered facial fractures in that bout. After healing up from his injuries and navigating the chaos of traveling and training under the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Inoue steps back into the ring to continue to build upon his reputation as one of boxing's pound-for-pound best.
Timothy Bradley Jr., a two-division world champion and a boxing analyst for ESPN, has studied the tape on Inoue, and he's ready to break down what to expect from Saturday's fight.
What are the attributes that make Inoue such a dangerous fighter?
The first thing that I really picked up on when I watched Inoue was his phenomenal jab. It's his most consistent punch. It's strong, and the way he uses it is really creative because he varies how he uses it. I believe that's his best weapon.
He'll use a speed jab, then a power jab, back and forth. He's constantly, consistently, throwing his jab. And when you have a strong jab, you can set up the rest of your offense. The next thing that I really noticed about Inoue was his positioning and his footwork -- he has great footwork.
Inoue is such a strong puncher. When you have that type of sharpness on your punches and your combinations connect regularly, you're definitely tough to deal with.
He possesses every punch in boxing. Similar to Teofimo Lopez, he has a left hook that's out of this world. He can knock you down with the left hook, but he can also sit you down with the right hand, and he also has a vicious right uppercut that a lot of guys need to pay attention to. Moloney needs to be careful with using his right uppercut because there will be a big one coming right back at him from Inoue.
Inoue has a tremendous step-back, which I'm sure he's going to use against Moloney. When he steps back, he makes guys fall short on any counterpunch attempts. Then he's able to come in and counter himself. Inoue is actually able to punch in between the other fighter's punches. So if Moloney is throwing any kind of offense at him, he better be aware of offense coming back, because he's quickly going to be on the receiving end again. Inoue has good timing as well.
Inoue closes the gap really quickly on his opponents. He doesn't appear to be the fastest guy on film, but he has decent speed and he can pounce on you within a blink of an eye, and he knows how to deliver a punch. A lot of that boils down to how he's always very balanced. He has always had great balance, even in transition from offense to defense.
Another of the physical attributes with Inoue is that despite being on the shorter side, he has long arms. He's about 5-foot-5, but a 67½-inch reach really makes up for it, and it helps him out a lot to be able to keep guys off of him and control distance.
I've noticed that when he fights off his front foot, Inoue is particularly dangerous, because it allows him to dictate the pace, when he's coming off his jab and he's coming forward and he's making guys react to him -- that's when he's very, very dangerous. That's not to say he's not also dangerous off his back foot, but not as much as when he's moving forward.
Are there any significant vulnerabilities in Inoue's approach?
In terms of weaknesses, I see that sometimes Inoue can get a little bit complacent with his defense. He'll stand in front and just cover up, rather than moving, and that will give his opponent an opportunity to get off punches. Those are opportunities that I believe that Moloney could take advantage of -- working his combinations, and then eventually getting out of the line of fire and racking up some points to win rounds.
Inoue also tends to drop his hands when he's pulling back. Sometimes in transition, he'll get out quickly, which is a strong suit of his. He'll clear the distance, but then all you have to do is follow him out there and you can catch Inoue with his hands down below his waist. It's a bad habit that he kind of has developed and gotten away with, for the most part.
But as Inoue continues to move up in weight, because I'm sure he wants to chase greatness, he's going to have to be careful, because these guys are going to get bigger and stronger with every jump.
When he's moving backward, sometimes Inoue can get himself out of position and you're able to make him pay with shots -- especially the right hand or the straight punch, the one-two combinations, the one-two-ones. Those are shots that I think Moloney should be able to land on him.
What did you learn about Inoue in the fight against Donaire?
Inoue has shown that he's pretty special, winning four world titles in three different weight classes, but he has been out of the ring for some time now, since last November. He got his face broken up by Nonito Donaire, and Donaire fought a hell of a fight against him. He did a great job. To me, he exposed some areas on Inoue that we didn't know about before that fight.
But I believe that to be special, you have to have that mental toughness to be able to endure whatever's needed inside that ring, and to be able to adapt no matter what. Winners, they find a way to win, by all means and costs, it doesn't matter. Even though he had his face smashed in a bit with Donaire, he still was able to get through it. And most guys, especially when they receive those facial fractures, they end up quitting on the stool. So he's not just a puncher and showed with Donaire that he can get through a lot.
The toughness of a true champion is that no matter what's going on in there, if he has his two hands and he can still fight, it doesn't matter if his eye is popping out or what's wrong. He's going to continue to fight. I think that's one of the strongest traits that a fighter needs, to be able to endure whatever's needed no matter what for 12 rounds, or however long the fight is. There are no long breaks. We don't get to go back to the dressing room, we don't get a chance to go get oxygen into our blood. Whatever's going on in that ring, we have to deal with it at that moment.
On top of all that, against Donaire, Inoue also showed how well he can actually box, when his power doesn't bring him to one of those spectacular knockouts he's known for. He can move, and he can actually counter off his back foot when he has to. He showed a different wrinkle that we didn't know that he had in his arsenal.
What type of challenge does Moloney represent for Inoue?
Moloney has everything needed to make this a more competitive fight than a lot of people are expecting. Moloney actually has some sneaky power himself. While there's no doubt in my mind that Inoue can endure the punching power of Moloney, this fight is going to boil down to whether Moloney can endure the punching power of Inoue.
When Maloney gets hit flush on his chin -- because he will -- how is he going to hold up? Aside from the physical toll, can he hold up mentally to the toll that he's going to take? I don't think he has been in there with a big puncher such as Inoue, a guy who has skill behind those punches, too.
Moloney has great movement. He's a rhythm fighter. He gets a little bounce, a little pep in his step and he looks to pounce on you when you're off-balance or he gets you off-balance with this movement. Moloney can also fight on the inside, which is one of his strong suits, and I think that would benefit him in this fight. It's risky, but to get into the second half of this fight, he's going to have to figure out a way to get on the inside to work the body and to get Inoue on his back foot, because that's the least dangerous option.
Moloney has that ability and has the IQ to be able to fight inside the pocket and to back up Inoue, and he's physically strong. He has the knowledge and experience to know when he can box on the outside, find his spots, and also see those openings where he can step inside that pocket. And I think he's fearless. He understands his boxing skills and his ability, and the opportunity he has in front of him.
How do you ultimately see this fight playing out?
I just don't know if Moloney can take that power of Inoue. If he can take that power I think it's going to be a hell of a fight. Moloney is very good and very stable inside the pocket -- I think even a little bit more stable than Inoue is.
I think it's going to be about adjustments in this fight for both guys. Both guys are going to want to separate themselves in this fight. It's going to be interesting in the beginning. If Moloney can take the jab away from Inoue, he can give him problems. That's really the only path to victory against Inoue, is that you have to be able to take that jab away. Once Inoue gets his jab going, he finds the target, then he starts setting up for the big shots -- that uppercut, the left hook. Moloney has to be careful with the left hook, especially throwing any left hooks of his own.
The story of this fight is about making adjustments as the fight goes on, and the power of Inoue. I would favor Inoue. His last fight against Donaire, going through what he went through in that fight has definitely prepared him for this type of fight and this type of fighter that he's going to be facing in Moloney.
I give a lot of credit to both Moloney twins. These guys, Jason and his brother [former WBA junior bantamweight world titlist] Andrew, they want to be great. They came to America for a reason, and these guys are willing to fight the best out there. I've got mad respect for the Moloney brothers for stepping up, and they also have a lot of ability, too.
But man, that power of Inoue, it's just on a different level. If Moloney can take the power, he can be in the fight. If he can't, then he's in trouble. Some might be worried about the damage Inoue took, because that left hook of Donaire is no joke, but Inoue got rocked and he bounced back. I don't see Jason Maloney hitting like that.
All that being said, these twins are tough. I think the fight might go the distance, and end in a 12-round decision victory for Inoue.