By Tré Berry III | 10/31/2020

Those who have been watching him in Japan already knew, but for a curious American audience of the casual contingent, RING/WBA/IBF Bantamweight King Naoya “Monster” Inoue (20-0-0, 17KO) showcased exactly how good he is, and how much of a threat he is to the rest of the division as he shut out world class contender Jason Moloney (21-2-0, 18KO) before putting him out of his misery by way of one punch knockout in the 7th round.

With Inoue dawning gold trunks, gold gloves and gold hair to match, I’m sure the younger crowd tuning in was making Super-Saiyan parallels 📺(Dragon Ball Z if you will), as they were trying to figure out what he was all about, and I’m sure that was the plan coming in with the aesthetic aspect of the event.  Moloney came into the contest without any fear, with every intention to implement his game plan, utilize his boxing skills, and rely on his top-notch defense to help nullify opportunities for Naoya to land – little did he know was that Inoue could outmaneuver him in all of those areas, while remaining composed to execute what he set out to execute.

INOUE VS. MOLONEY – FULL FIGHT RECAP

Starting in round 1, both boxers showcased respect for one another, and fought in middle distance, relying on the high guard defense while trying to establish their jab, and desired distance.  Inoue early took note of it, and attacked the body with right crosses early and often.  In the second round, Naoya hit Jason with a strong right hand to the solar plexus.  Moloney spent the duration of the round trying to get used to his speed, but missed his counterpunches often, as he didn’t realize how blinding Inoue’s actual handspeed was.

By round 3, Inoue seen what he needed to see, and began opening up, forcing Moloney to fight him up close.  Inoue managed to take advantage of Moloney’s weakness of lunging over his front foot by landing a few major uppercuts on the inside that certainly buzzed the game Australian fighter.  Round 4 was where Inoue started to unleash the ⚡lightning quick check-left hook, perhaps his best weapon in his arsenal.  Moloney was boxing well in his own right, staying defensively and fundamentally responsible, but it was abundantly clear that Inoue’s boxing skills were a few cuts above of his own.

By the 5th round, Moloney and his team realized that his fight plan and tactics were not working, so he switched up and started to play the role of the aggressor, pressuring Inoue and trying to roughhouse him with his bigger bodyframe.  What he didn’t realize was that despite being a bit bigger, Inoue had a strength advantage inside.  Inoue connected with a massive right hand that made Jason’s entire body flail, and from that point on, Moloney seemed to get a little gun-shy as he got his first taste of the immense power that Inoue possesses.

Round 6, Moloney charged in with a jab, but Inoue caught him with a nasty 💣check-left hook that landed on the inside of Moloney’s high right hand guard, and dropped him to the canvas.  This was only the second time that the Australian was ever down in his professional career.  He got up, but the carryover of the shot played out through the rest of the round, with Inoue inflicting more punishment.  The 7th round would ultimately be the final one, when Naoya Inoue knocked Moloney out with a devastating timed 💥counter right hand over a Moloney jab, and dropped him straight back.

(THE KNOCKOUT PUNCH PICTURED BELOW FROM INOUE)

Desperately trying to get up, Moloney couldn’t, thus Inoue recording his 17th knockout in his 20 fight pro career.

THE IMPRESSIONS OF INOUE LEFT IN THE BUBBLE, AND WHAT HE WANTS NEXT

To the chagrin of 💻ESPN broadcasters, seeing him up close and personal made them a believer in his skills, matching the level of hype that has surrounded his name for quite some time across the globe.  Inoue won his 15th career title fight, and defended his RING Championship belt for a second time.

When asked by Interviewer 🎙️Mark Kriegal after the fight, Inoue addressed that he wants to go for the Undisputed crown, mentioning 🇵🇭Nonito Donaire’s WBC title for a re-match (perhaps tipping that he firmly believes Donaire will beat 🇫🇷Nordine Oubaali for the belt?), and in naming 🇵🇭John Riel Casimero for his WBO Bantamweight Title, as Casimero has been going on a tirade of a campaign to humiliate Inoue by saying he isn’t no monster, and calling him a Japanese turtle (laughs) as means to draw him into fighting him next.

Certainly all fight fans would prefer a bout with Casimero to be the next move for Naoya, being that this is the type of fight that will set the boxing world on 🔥fire, and bring more attention back to the acclaimed lower weight divisions.