Naoya Inoue vs. Aran Dipaen - December 14, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Naoya Inoue-Aran Dipaen Set, December 14

Naoya Inoue gets his long-awaited homecoming fight.

The three-division and reigning WBA/IBF bantamweight titlist will headline a show in his native Japan for the first time since November 2019. The opportunity comes December 14, when Inoue defends his belts versus Thailand's Aran Dipaen (12-2, 11KOs) at the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

"It's been two years since I've fought in Japan," Inoue stated upon confirming the fight. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Yokohama's Inoue (21-0, 18KOs) aims to make the fourth defense of at least one bantamweight title and his third as a unified champion. The pound-for-pound entrant is coming off of back-to-back knockout wins in Las Vegas, including a three-round drubbing of Philippines Michael Dasmarinas this past June at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The win followed a one-sided seventh-round stoppage of top bantamweight contender Jason Moloney last Halloween.

The title defense versus Dipaen is on the weaker side of opponents, though one who fits the bill given Japan's current Covid-related travel restrictions. The announcement itself was delayed as event organizers sought confirmation that Dipean—who enters his first career title fight—would be eligible to make the trip from Thailand to Japan for the event.

Dipaen suffered both career defeats on the road, as he is 1-2 outside of Thailand. The 30-year-old from Khon Kaen, Thailand does boast one win in Japan, a June 2019 second-round knockout of Ryohei Arakawa in his fifth pro fight.

In his most recent start, Dipean scored a sixth-round stoppage of countryman Sukpraserd Ponpitak this past March in Bang Phli. His role in this fight comes strictly on his being the highest-ranked available challenger as he is number-six in the most recent IBF ratings. Lee McGregor (#3) and Moloney (#5) are due to meet in an IBF-sanctioned title eliminator, while Paul Butler (#4) is currently set to challenge WBO bantamweight titlist John Riel Casimero, likely December 11 in Dubai.

As such, Inoue gets to play his home country for the first time in more than two years. His last fight in Japan came in his memorable twelve-round, unanimous decision victory over four-division champ Nonito Donaire in November 2019 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Inoue unified the WBA/IBF titles along with winning the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament with the win.

The upcoming return home marks Inoue's second career appearance at Kokugikan, a famed sumo wrestling arena which housed all of the boxing events for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics this past summer. Inoue last played the venue in December 2013, coming in his fifth pro fight and his last without a title at stake. The supremely skilled boxer claimed the WBC junior flyweight title just one fight later, with every subsequent fight coming with some form of a belt at stake—14-0 (12 KOs) in major title fights along with a pair of first-round knockouts with a secondary version of the WBA bantamweight title at stake.

The show will also include the recently sorted WBO strawweight title fight between defending champ Wilfredo Mendez (16-1, 6KOs) and Tokyo-based mandatory challenger Masataka Taniguchi (14-3, 9KOs). Mendez will make the third defense of his title and second straight outside of his native Puerto Rico.

[Thomastearns]

Any Inoue fight is a good fight.

December looking better and better for boxing.

[margaret thatcher]

very stinky poopy turd of a fight

unfortunetly inoues career has been going downhill since winning the wbss

[Ruthless-RKO]

Any Inoue fight is a good fight.

December looking better and better for boxing.

Last 2 months are stacked!

[gregregegg]

Geeezes this is bad. Inoue was on a tear, I fully thought he was going to spend the last 18 months going undisputed plus fighting rigo…

Instead it’s a trash fight with a trasher fight booked.

Hope he gets back on track next year.

[Mexi-Box]

Geeezes this is bad. Inoue was on a tear, I fully thought he was going to spend the last 18 months going undisputed plus fighting rigo…

Instead it’s a trash fight with a trasher fight booked.

Hope he gets back on track next year.

Why does he need to fight Rigondeaux? Rigondeaux already got beat. He's no longer in the mix, thankfully.

[gregregegg]

Geeezes this is bad. Inoue was on a tear, I fully thought he was going to spend the last 18 months going undisputed plus fighting rigo…

Instead it’s a trash fight with a trasher fight booked.

Hope he gets back on track next year.

Why does he need to fight Rigondeaux? Rigondeaux already got beat. He's no longer in the mix, thankfully.

Was tallking about what i expected him to have done over the last 18 months... meaning i was talking about what i was thinking 18 months ago. before rigo lost to cas. Unless you think losing to loma at 130 disqualifies you from being a 118 contender, in which case wild opinion.

[Mexi-Box]

Geeezes this is bad. Inoue was on a tear, I fully thought he was going to spend the last 18 months going undisputed plus fighting rigo…

Instead it’s a trash fight with a trasher fight booked.

Hope he gets back on track next year.

Why does he need to fight Rigondeaux? Rigondeaux already got beat. He's no longer in the mix, thankfully.

Was tallking about what i expected him to have done over the last 18 months... meaning i was talking about what i was thinking 18 months ago. before rigo lost to cas. Unless you think losing to loma at 130 disqualifies you from being a 118 contender, in which case wild opinion.

Nah, Rigondeaux losing to Casimiero is what I meant. I don't care what anyone says. You don't win a fight not throwing punches and running. Casimiero beat him, Rigondeaux goes to the back of the line.

[Cent0089]

LOL

[Ruthless-RKO]

Naoya Inoue: So Much Farther Before I Reach My Peak, I Still Don't Know My True Potential

Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs) is hard at work, as he's preparing to make his next defense of the WBA and IBF bantamweight world championships.

The undefeated puncher is going to return on December 14 in Japan, when he faces Thailand's Aran Dipaen (12-2, 11 KOs).

Several boxing events were recently canceled in Japan, because the country increased their travel restrictions in response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

But Inoue was lucky, because his opponent was already in the country when the restrictions were implemented.

Inoue will be looking to put on another impressive performance in the contest.

“Each and every fan is going to have expectations. And I want to defy and go beyond each and every one of their expectations,” Inoue, 28-years-old, told The Associated Press.

Inoue would like to fight WBO champion John Riel Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) in 2022. They were set to collide last year, but their fight was canceled when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing.

Casimero returns on December 11, when he makes a mandatory defense against Paul Butler. On the same day, WBC champion Nonito Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) will defend his title against mandatory challenger Reymart Gaballo.

Inoue would like to retire from the sport when he turns 35. For now he wants to unify some more belts and make a move to super bantamweight in 2023.

“I am still far from the ideal style of boxing I am pursuing. If I get contented now, then I will just hit a wall when I go to super bantamweight. There’s so much farther to go before I reach my peak, and I still don’t know my true potential. I still have seven or eight years as a pro, and so I’m going to keep heading higher," Inoue said.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tomorrow!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Is this being televised?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Weigh-in: Naoya Inoue 117.9 Aran Dipaen 117.5

Japanese star Naoya Inoue and Aran Dipaen have weighed in ahead of their 12-round bantamweight championship fight which takes place at the Kokugikan Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Inoue, who will defend The Ring Magazine championship as well as the IBF and WBA titles, weighed in at 117.9 pounds. “The Monster” has captured titles in three divisions and will be making his fourth defense at 118 pounds.

The 30-year-old Dipaen, who hails from Thailand, is taking an enormous step up in class against one of the finest pound for pound fighters in the world today. There is absolutely nothing on the challenger’s resume to suggest that he can be competitive. He weighed in at 117.5 pounds.

Inoue has a record of 21-0 (18 KOs) and Dipaen is 12-2 (11 KOs).

[ironbeard]

Side trip to someone we can only hope to catch in a thong bikini sometime soon . . .



Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sindhu of India.

[ironbeard]

^^^That’s what happens at 5:50am on Monday morning.

[KiwiRider]

I missed this.
Come on youtube!
I'll watch it later at a more gentlemanly time.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I missed this.
Come on youtube!
I'll watch it later at a more gentlemanly time.

Isn't it tomoro?

[KiwiRider]

I missed this.
Come on youtube!
I'll watch it later at a more gentlemanly time.

Isn't it tomoro?

Errr, my phone says its Tuesday 14th 6:39 am
We may be on different planets

[KiwiRider]

It's also raining but 21°C and I'm in just shorts because I would be sweating through a t-shirt by 9am

[margaret thatcher]

in japan it's 2:42 am on the 14th right now

[KiwiRider]

in japan it's 2:42 am on the 14th right now

Oh!
It's doable then. Bloody confusing.
I've crossed the International dateline 4 times in ny life and never got laid

[Ruthless-RKO]

in japan it's 2:42 am on the 14th right now

Oh!
It's doable then. Bloody confusing.
I've crossed the International dateline 4 times in ny life and never got laid

Ah, I suppose the date was Japan then.. UK will be 13th

[Ruthless-RKO]

Naoya Inoue Stops Aran Dipaen In Eighth Round, Retains WBA/IBF Bantamweight Titles

Naoya Inoue can now look forward to the super fights he has long craved.

The unbeaten three-division titlist successfully defended his WBA and IBF bantamweight titles following an eighth round knockout of Thailand's Aran Dipaen. Inoue floored Dipaen midway through round eight, with a follow-up left hook forcing referee Michiaki Someya to immediately stop the fight Tuesday evening at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

The bout was more about a national hero returning home than anything else. Dipaen represented an undesirable opponent choice to the point of Inoue even acknowledging that it was not even close to the caliber of competition sought by his fans.

However, the desire to fight in Japan for the first time in more than two years coupled with strict national Covid protocols limited the talent pool to ranked challengers who were able to travel. That led to Dipaen accepting the assignment, which represented his first major title fight.

The difference in class was evident from the opening bell, though—in fairness—it is the case nearly every time Inoue is in the ring. Inoue was deliberate at the start, working his jab and straight right hand while Dipaen did his best to box from the outside and avoid getting caught with anything dramatic.

It was a sound strategy in the sense that Dipaen lasted deeper than most expected to be the case. However, the Thai challenger was forced to fight through a bloodied nose, the result of clean punching by Inoue who methodically picked apart Dipaen with each passing round.

Dipaen attempted to catch Inoue with a right hand in round three, his effort falling miserably short and eating a counter left hook in return. Inoue continued to find openings at will, at times punching around and through Dipaen's high guard in order to find the target.

Inoue rocked Dipaen inside the first minute of round seven. Dipaen staggered into the ropes but quickly regained his bearings to finish the round on his feet. Blood continued to pour from his broken nose, while Inoue barely looked like he was in a fight at all.

The fight came to an emphatic close in round eight. Inoue was determined to close the show, to the point of throwing a left hook at Dipaen's right hand just to force the finishing sequence. A right hand snapped back the challenger's head, with a left hook sending him reeling into the ropes and eventually on the canvas.

Dipaen beat the count but was staggered by the next left hook thrown by Inoue. The sequence was enough for the referee, who wrapped his left arm around Dipaen while motioning for the end of the fight.

Inoue (22-0, 19KOs) made his fifth overall defense of the IBF bantamweight title and fourth as a unified titlist. The fight was his first in Japan for Yokohama's Inoue since his thrilling twelve-round win over Nonito Donaire in their November 2019 title unification bout in Saitama, Japan.

In between the two homecoming appearances came a pair of knockout wins in Las Vegas on the other side of the pandemic. Inoue stopped Australia's Jason Moloney in the seventh round of their ESPN headliner last Halloween behind closed doors at MGM Grand Conference Center.

Inoue returned to Las Vegas for his previous title defense, a lopsided third-round knockout of IBF mandatory challenger Michael Dasmarinas this past June at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

The aim for 2022 is to further unify the bantamweight division before moving up in weight. Inoue was originally due to face WBO titlist John Riel Casimero in a three-belt unification bout last April in Las Vegas, only for the event to get shut down due to the pandemic.

Casimero (31-4, 21KOs) has twice defended his title since then but remains on the hook for a WBO mandatory title defense versus Paul Butler. Their bout was scheduled for December 11, only for Philippines' Casimero to withdraw prior to the official pre-fight weigh-in—citing a bout with gastritis as the cause for his failure to defend his title.

Such a fight will be his first of 2022 absent the WBO stripping him of the belt should he fail to provide sufficient medical proof of his pre-fight condition.

Donaire worked his way back into the title picture since his hard-fought loss to Inoue in the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament finale.

The four-division champ and future Hall of Famer launched a third bantamweight title reign following a fourth-round knockout of unbeaten Nordine Oubaali to win the WBC belt. The win took place May 29 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, where Donaire returned with a fourth-round knockout of unbeaten interim titlist Reymart Gaballo in their title consolidation clash this past Saturday.

Donaire now enters the voluntary stage of his title reign. The 39-year-old Fil-Am superstar aims for a rematch with Inoue, who is receptive to the idea of a repeat unification clash next spring.

Inoue-Dipaen aired live on Pay-Per-View exclusively distributed by ABEMA TV.

[Thomastearns]

Another impressive win for "The Monster" as he continues to pick up fans along on his way.

[margaret thatcher]

i love monster but defo not better than pac was