By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten “Monster” Naoya Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs), 118, retained his WBA, IBF bantamweight belts as he kept sticking strong jabs to hurt durable Thai challenger Aran Dipaen (12-3, 11 KOs), 117.5, finally dropped him with a looping left hook following a solid combination and another left hook prompted the referee’s halt at 2:34 of the eighth round on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Naoya kept battering IBF#5, WBA#10 Dipaen upstairs and downstairs, but the game but nose-bleeding Thailander withstood the champ’s continual assault and occasionally retaliated with big shots, though averted by the champ. Dipaen was visibly slowing down with his absorption of the champ’s persistent body bombardments, and Naoya finally caught up with the durable challenger with a vicious left hook following effective combos. Down he went. Dipaen, reportedly with some fifty Muay-thai victories, barely stood up and resumed fighting on. A smashing left hook caught the challenger’s chin, when the referee Michiaki Someya promptly declared a halt. The crowd praised Naoya’s expected victory as well as Dipaen’s much better performance than expected.

All the judges agreed on Naoya having swept all rounds, and their tallies were identical: Yuji Fukuchi, Michiaki Someya and Nobuto Ikehara 70-63.

It looked like Dipaen’s face covered with an iron mask and his body also covered with an iron plate. His durability was amazing despite his repeated absorption of punishment. Naoya said after the fight, “Though I hit him hard, very hard, he kept a straight face. He might have studied my style very well. He withstood my strong shots, which I admire.”

The good loser Aran said, “Inoue was the very hardest puncher I have met. I was badly hurt, but I endured and endured for all the Thai people. But my accumulation of punishment couldn’t allow me to go on.”

At the post-fight press conference, “Monster” Inoue talked on his desirable blueprint. “I myself leave all future matters to my manager Mr. Hideyuki Ohashi. I truly wish to unify the bantamweight belts by fighting Nonito Donaire and/or John Riel Casimero next. But if the negotiation should take so long, then I may consider moving up to the 122-pound category.”

Naoya made his first appearance here in Japan since his grueling fight with Nonito Donaire in November 2019. His tremendous popularity enabled the very first Pay Per View event here without any network television live. It’s fun to watch Monster’s improvement in every fight.

Promoter: Ohashi Promotions.

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