WBA/IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (20-0, 17 KOs) scored an impressive seventh round knockout against Jason Moloney (21-2, 18 KOs) on Saturday night inside the Bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Inoue became increasingly dominant as the bout progressed. A left hook floored Moloney in round six. Inoue then put Moloney down for the count with a crushing right hand in round seven. Time was 2:59.
Inoue said, “The final punch, the finishing punch, I’m very happy and satisfied with that punch…Moloney has a great defense, and it was very difficult to get through. The two punches you mentioned are something we really practiced in Japan a lot, and I was able to perform well and use it, and I‘m very happy with that.”
“As you go fight to fight, you learn things from the previous fight. Regarding {the Nonito Donaire fight}. I think I’m getting wiser and better. The Oubaali-Donaire {winner} with the WBC title and Casimero with the WBO, they’re within my sights are far as fights go.”
Added Bob Arum, Top Rank Chairman: “The Monster is a special fighter. I haven’t seen a young fighter like that in a long time. And credit to Jason Moloney for fighting like a warrior. He gave it his absolute best.”
Inoue is the real deal and possibly the best Pound by Pound fighter right now.
hes good but needs to fight other big names before he can snag the P4P crown hes NOT even close yet
I haven’t seen a lot of Inoue before, but I can’t think of anyone who is a better pound-for-pound fighter. I mean, holy cow, that guy is crazy talented.
Hugs ❤️ to both Mr. Inoue and Mr. Moloney for their brave boxing display!
Man, Inoue. That kid is fun to watch.
Very boxing fan should know Inoue, the young man is incredibly incredible.
I meant Every boxing fan should know Inoue.
Simply my number one pound for pound..
Very proud of Jason Moloney he was the underdog and did his country proud. His next fight he’ll be hungry for a win! Eager to watch Andrew win in a few weeks.
Inoue is pound for pound No.1
It’s a real pleasure watching Inoue fight. He’s always balanced and ready to punch and moves in rapidly to land punches then gets out quickly. He hits hard with both hands. Moloney got some licks in, but Inoue was just on another level. He’s better than any bantamweight today although his best weight is probably at 115 lbs. He did look like the smaller man next to Moloney.
The left hook that put Moloney down for the first knockdown was so quick I didn’t see what happened until they showed the replay. The right hand that ended the fight was straight from the shoulder with no windup. Just perfect timing on that one.
As Tim Bradley said, he probably should work on moving his head out of the middle after delivering punches. There is room for improvement, but I’m impressed by his speed, mobility, boxing skills and punching power. He’s the complete package and very possibly is the best P4P fighter around today.
I had a real problem in that the Gervonta Davis-Leo Santa Cruz fight was on at almost the same time. I watched the entire Inoue fight and caught the Davis-Santa Cruz fight between rounds. That was a competitive fight but I preferred to watch Inoue tonight. He’s one of my top three favorite fighters today joining Regis Prograis and David Benavidez on that list.
To phrase it succinctly:
INOUE HAS SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS.
Nice try Moloney you did your country proud but you never really had a chance, and I’m not running the guy down but Inoue is just on another level.
Inoue is firmly at his peak. He has good technique and leverage on his punches and hits with confidence and no hesitation. Most of his rivals are solid fighters, but do not have the offensive or defensive ability to throw Inoue off his game. Doniare came close but was past his prime. Inoue is in his ideal weight class and, unless someone can bring some elite offense or defense to the table, he will wear guys down with strong punches and eventually land a fight ending shot. I predict that Top Rank will try to move him up in weight to set up a super fight. This will cause Inoue to fill out physically and lose some of his speed. He will find himself in there with someone he cannot bully, someone with dangerous power, and/or someone with the defensive ability to nullify his weapons. He will likely take his first loss within his next few fights, at which time we will really see what he is made of. At his current weight, I don’t see anyone being able to last with him. He will likely try to unify the titles against the other champion from the Philippines. Filipino fighters have a very awkward offensive style that is difficult to defend against. There is a chance that Inoue gets caught with something and take his first loss there, but I predict another middle round knockout for Inoue before going up in weight and eventually suffering a set back.
I believe Inoue’s maximum weight should be at bantamweight. His best weight is probably at junior bantamweight. He looked like the smaller man against Maloney and against almost all of his past few opponents. It would be a mistake for him to bulk up and fight at a higher weight class.
I saw Mikey Garcia’s fight against Jessie Vargas and he really looked bulked up and punching really hard but wasn’t as quick as he was against opponents in the 140 lb division. That bulk really looked unnatural on him. I would hate to see Inoue do the same thing.
What a surprise !
let me educate you couch coaches aka experts on something……the P4P crown goes to the fighter who takes the biggest risk against the elite competition especially against OTHER current world champions not because the company men commentators tell you so lol use your open minded coconuts and think about this Lomachenko was NEVER close to being #1 neither is Bud Crawford just because Top Rank/ESPN shows THEIR list on THEIR shows doesnt mean that is true its actually ridiculous
Who is your current choice for #1?
Inoue style is similiar to lomachenko
Moloney was game as hell but he was in against a freakish all-rounder. If Inoue had better positioning and movement on his head, he would have a complete set of the essential skills. We are lucky to have the opportunity to see such a great boxer.