Undisputed world super bantamweight champion Naoya ‘’the Monster’’ Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym told reporters at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on June 10 upon his return from the United States, where he attended ‘’the Sugar Ray Robinson Award’’ presentation ceremony in New York on June 6, that he wants to fight again in the U.S. if the conditions are right.
Inoue, who attended the ceremony as he was chosen by the Boxing Writers Association of America as the Fighter of the Year for 2023, knocked out Michael Dasmarinas of the Philippines in June 2021 in Las Vegas to retain his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association bantamweight titles.
‘’I think my name recognition has increased compared with the time when I had a training camp in Los Angeles (in September 2022). This is because I have continued to deliver good results in my fights,’’ Inoue said.
In this connection, the gym’s head Hideyuki Ohashi said he received several offers from overseas promotors (for Inoue to fight in the U.S.).
Commenting on his immediate future, Inoue said, ‘’I think I can have four to five more fights at super bantamweight by the end of neat year,’’ thereby hinting at the possibility of moving up to the featherweight division two years later.
Inoue watched the Major League baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Yankee Stadium on June 7, in which Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers held the Yankees scoreless in the first seven innings.
