Naoya Inoue has returned to America to make a global impact on boxing – much like Manny Pacquiao did before him.
Inoue seeks to continue his domination in the sport when he takes on Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas on Monday morning.
The Japanese superstar is returning to fight in the US for the first time since 2021, when he stopped Michael Dasmarinas after three rounds.
Inoue is the undisputed super-bantamweight champion and one of three male boxers in the ‘four-belt era’ – alongside Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford – to hold that status in two weight divisions.
He is undefeated in 29 fights, with 26 of those victories coming by way of knockout, and is set for another defence of his WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF titles at 122lbs once again.
“It’s been four years since I fought here,” Inoue told Sky Sports ahead of the huge fight.
“I know there are expectations and I want to be able to fulfil those expectations. For myself I plan to do so.”
Asked about his ambitions in capturing the world’s attention the way Pacquiao did in the early 2000s, Inoue left no doubt in his response.
“Yes of course, that’s what I came to do here and that type of fight is what I’m looking for,” he said.
“I’m just pleased that I’m able to fight in front of that type of environment with a big crowd.”
Pacquiao became a household name in the ring following his battles with names like Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.
He is the only boxer to have won world titles in eight different weight classes, and his 2015 bout with Floyd Mayweather is the highest selling boxing PPV of all time, with 4.6 million purchasing the event worldwide.
Inoue said ‘that’s what I came to do here’ when speaking on replicating Pacquiao’s legacy Pacquiao is widely recognised as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of all timeGetty Images - GettyIncredibly, the 46-year-old is making a return to boxing in July to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title.
That is according to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, who confirmed that the Filipino boxing legend will fight for the green and gold belt.
“At this time, Mario Barrios is going to fight Manny Pacquiao in July,” he said.
“That’s a tremendous fight. Manny Pacquiao’s first [world] title was at flyweight, with the WBC.
“And [now] he wants to retire as the WBC champion, so he’s fighting in the welterweight division.”
If Inoue comes out on top in this fight, he is scheduled to go straight into a clash against Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September.
‘Pac Man’ will return to boxing in July to fight for WBC gold against Mario BarriosAFPThe 12-round title fight takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with main event ringwalks scheduled for approximately 4am UK time.
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