Inoue’s Career More Legendary Than Pacquiao’s: Bob Arum Explains Why

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum believes that the career of Japanese boxing star Naoya Inoue is even more legendary than that of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.

"Both boxers are unique. Manny Pacquiao was a great, great champion, perfectly suited for boxing. His career was legendary. But Naoya Inoue’s career is even more legendary because, unlike Manny, he has moved through division after division without losing a single fight.

You really can’t compare them because they’re both obviously great fighters, but they’re also very different. Manny was reckless in many fights, and that’s why he got knocked out in his last bout against Marquez—he went on the offensive and didn’t anticipate the counterpunch.

But Manny entertained fans, and people loved him not only in the Philippines but across the United States as well.

Now, Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter. He’s far more calculated in the ring. He doesn’t take senseless risks. Occasionally, he does, but usually, he doesn’t.

I think when it comes to skill set and technical boxing ability, Inoue significantly surpasses Manny Pacquiao. I don’t say this to diminish Pacquiao; it’s just to point out that in Inoue, we have not only a ferocious knockout artist but also a highly skilled technical fighter," said Arum.

Naoya Inoue’s next fight against Ye Joon Kim is scheduled for January 24 in Tokyo. Detailed statistics for the fight can be found from RTFight here.