There were stretches of his most recent title defense when Naoya Inoue felt the urge the familiar instinct to close the show with a knockout. But for the first time in his career, he consciously suppressed it.
Inoue cruised to a wide unanimous decision over former unified champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14, a fight he controlled from the opening bell. And though there were opportunities to press for the stoppage, the undisputed 122-pound king says he chose composure over carnage.
According to Inoue, the choice was not just strategic it was self-correction.
Lessons From Nery and Cardenas Knockdowns
Inoue has been nearly flawless across four divisions, but the Japanese superstar acknowledges one flaw his opponents have begun to target: his desire to entertain.
That mind-set, he says, contributed to the knockdowns he suffered against Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas fights he still won by knockout, but not without unnecessary risk.
“Of course there was reluctance to hold back,” Inoue told The Ring’s Daisuke Sugiura. “But I also understand that this is my weakness now. Opposing teams strategizing for me know this, too they think my desire to entertain makes me attack aggressively at times, and that those moments are openings.”
“So, I’ve started thinking that maybe I don’t need to prioritize entertaining the fans in every fight.”
Akhmadaliev: The First Opponent In Five Years To Go 12
Akhmadaliev (14-2, 11 KOs) became the first fighter to take Inoue the distance since Nonito Donaire in 2019. Yet the bout was never competitive. Inoue won decisively with scores of:
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118-110
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118-110
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117-111
Before that, Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) had scored 11 straight knockouts and ripped through elite opposition like Stephen Fulton, Marlon Tapales, and Luis Nery. But he insists his approach has never been to force stoppages even if fans have grown accustomed to them.
“What was unique about the Akhmadaliev fight was that even when I saw moments where I could have gone for the finish, I held myself back,” Inoue said. “That was the first time in my career.”
He added:
“When fighting true champion-level opponents, I don’t go in thinking I will force a knockout. If an opportunity comes naturally, I take it.”
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
