Boxing

Here's Why Bob Arum Ranks Naoya Inoue Above Manny Pacquiao In His GOAT List

Bob Arum ranks Naoya Inoue ahead of Manny Pacquiao in the list of the greatest fighters of all time.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Bob Arum believes Naoya Inoue has a bigger legacy than Manny Pacquiao in the sport of boxing. Inoue is set to take on Ye Joon Kim on January 24.

'The Monster' was set to take on Sam Goodman but the latter had to pull out due to a cut that he sustained in training. Kim was set to fight on the undercard on January 24 but stepped in on short notice against Inoue to save the day.

Inoue boasts an exceptional record of 28-0-0 with 25 knockout wins under his belt, and Arum thinks Inoue has built a better legacy having gone through two divisions undefeated.

Naoya Inoue in action
IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Speaking to Sky Sports, Inoue's promoter Arum said:

Boxers are unique. Manny Pacquiao was a great, great champion, was great for boxing. His career is legendary. Naoya Inoue's career is even more legendary because unlike Manny he has gone through one division after another without losing a fight.
Bob Arum

He further added:

You really can't compare either of them because they're both obviously great fighters but they're also different. Manny was reckless in a lot of fights and that's why he got knocked out in the last fight that he had with [Juan Manuel] Marquez. Because he went in on the attack and didn't look out for an answering punch.
Bob Arum

Bob Arum has claimed that Naoya Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter than Pacquiao as he said:

Now Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter. He is much more correct in the ring. He doesn't take foolish chances. Sometimes you do but usually he does not take foolish chances.
Bob Arum

While Naoya Inoue is disciplined, his moniker, 'The Monster' is appropriate. Few fighters current boxers possess the knockout power that Inoue has.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.