Boxing

Bob Arum Believes This Fight Is Better Than Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

Legendary promoter Bob Arum shared a strong stance about a potential fight being bigger than Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The boxing community is counting down the days to when pound-for-pound greats Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will square off in the ring in September. Given what both fighters have accomplished in their respective careers (and the stardom they've amassed as a result of their success), it's hard to imagine a more compelling fight that could be made right now.

However, boxing is on fire right now, as the sweet science has a plethora of superstars and fascinating fights. Two of these superstars hail from Japan; one being undefeated pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue, with the other being Junto Nakatani.

While both Inoue and Nakatani have difficult fights lined up in the coming months (10-0 southpaw Ryosuke Nishida for Nakatani on June 8 and Inoue is expected to fight Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) in September if he wins his next fight), it seems that Inoue and Nakatani will face each other after that if all goes according to plan.

Legendary Top Rank Boxing CEO Bob Arum did an interview with Ring Magazine that was posted on May 24. And he shared a strong sentiment regarding this Inoue vs. Nakatani showdown.

“A lot of people say that Nakatani is the guy that could beat Inoue,” Arum said. “That’s why it’s such a big fight. That’s a real, real fight. People who really know and follow those lower weight divisions, they think that’s as interesting a fight, if not more so, than Canelo and Crawford. And it’ll be the biggest fight ever in the history of Japan.”

He later added, “All of these Japanese fighters in these lighter weight divisions, all the top guys, they can really fight. They’re really disciplined. The guy Nakatani is fighting is very awkward and a southpaw. But Nakatani is well trained. I think, next to Inoue, Nakatani is the best Japanese fighter out there.”

Hopefully, these two Japanese superstars eventually face off so the boxing world can see whether Arum's stance holds true.

The Latest Boxing News

Manny Pacquiao Tells Terence Crawford What To Focus On For Canelo Alvarez Fight

Canelo Alvarez Drops Major News On Terence Crawford Fight Location

Sugar Ray Leonard Sends Terence Crawford Message On Beating Canelo Alvarez

Reveal Of Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Betting Odds Raises Red Flag

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.