Monster Inoue becomes a postage stamp

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Probably in consideration of the utmost good luck in the latest WBC (World Baseball Classic) tournaments where Team Japan scored a hairline 3-2 victory over the counterpart of US (with Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw participating therein the result might have been different) our Japanese boxing fraternity suffered double ill luck. “Monster” Naoya Inoue, unfortunately, sustained such an injury that his ambitious title shot against the WBC, WBO 122-pound champ Stephen Fulton on May 7 was pitifully postponed until July (the new fight date to be announced by Ohashi Promotions soon). Also, the highly expected unification title bout between WBC, WBA 108-pound titleholder Kenshiro Teraji and WBO ruler Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez on April 8 was abruptly canceled because of the Puerto Rican having caught pneumonia (Teraji will defend his belts against an emergency replacement instead).

Good news, however, is that the memorial postage stamp set produced by the Japanese government became on sale from March 18 in commemoration of “Monster” Inoue having unified all the four bantamweight belts by dispatching Paul Butler last December.

The postal order was already closed in the end of January, and even this reporter failed to purchase it for 6,600 Yen (some 50 USD). The deluxe postage set using world-famous photographer Naoki Fukuda’s pictures will become an expensive collectors’ item soon to be sold at a premium. I repent missing it.

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