‘I don’t think I am the finished product yet’: Inoue says he still hasn’t reached the peak form of his career
Naoya Inoue may already be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but he believes he’s still improving as a fighter.
As Naoya Inoue gets ready to defend his super bantamweight titles against TJ Doheny tomorrow at Ariake Arena, he tells Sky Sports that he’s been training harder than he ever has in his career. Inoue says he doesn’t think Doheny is the type of fighter who will be content just to go the distance, so he believes he’ll have to be on alert at all times.
And despite Inoue being rated as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport by many, he adds that he’s still not reached his peak, saying he’s still growing into the best version of himself.
“I don’t think I am the finished product yet. I still have some way to go. I know I can still evolve into a better fighter. I hope the fans can look forward to that as well,” he said. “To win this fight I have to concentrate and knock him out. That’s the only thing I keep in mind as I head into this fight. That’s what I’m visualising now.”
Most fight fans who are familiar with Inoue will have him picked as the clear favorite to dominate this upcoming fight, but Inoue and his team take a much more humble approach and say they rate Doheny as a strong former champion who they don’t expect to be in awe of Inoue’s reputation.
We’ll have some live coverage of the early morning fight that will stream live on ESPN+ starting at 5:45 a.m. ET, so join us here at BLH for all the festivities and updates.